Of Blood and Water
by Takafan
Summary: Peeta lives a quite life in District 12. He attends school like every other 16 year old while his spare time is spent in the family's bakery and admiring Katniss Everdeen from afar. But Peeta's life is turned upside down when he discovers that everything he knows is a lie. And to make matters worse, it turns out that he's not even a Mellark - but the only child of President Snow.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Disclaimer - I do not own the Hunger Games or the Tudors.**

 **Chapter 1 – The Great Undertaking**

It's five minutes until midnight and a small group consisting of six persons are standing close together due to the lack of space. They are feet deep in the cold sewage, that is running slowly towards its exit at its reservoir placed many miles from here. The only light in this dark place comes from their headlamps, which they keep on a minimum on purpose. The smell alone in this place is enough for nobody to ever come down here, but that does not mean that the security cameras have not been installed. They have been – along with booby traps placed in strategic places. It had been a struggle for the group just to reach this point, even if they did have the knowledge of the traps' positions. This first part of the mission was completed, the second is far more difficult and the third part, the actual escape, almost impossible.

The leader of the group is holding out a detailed map of the building above them – or at least as detailed a map as possible, since the building they are about to break into is the most secluded and guarded building in all of Panem. Anyone just thinking about breaking in is thought to be mad, and any attempt would have been thwarted the moment the decision had been made. But not for this group. This group is a highly trained military elite unit, who have been practising for this exact moment for a whole year. They had received the command the moment the announcement to all of Panem was made; when it was announced that the First Lady of Panem was pregnant. Since then, every day had consisted of planning and training. Every scenario had been played out for this mission to run as smoothly as possible.

"Everyone, listen up and gather round," their leader states in a hush voice. "Here is a very great undertaking upon which our lives as well as the lives of all the innocent souls in Panem will depend on. Be in no doubt, that those who posses the heir to the presidential seat of Panem, will very soon posses the seat itself. The malicious line of Snow must come to an end. This boy cannot be allowed to grow up and follow the path of his father. President Coin has ordered that the boy is to be brought back to District 13 to be formed into our greatest hope for Panem."

The silence and the importance of their mission hang heavy in the air. The sound of the flowing sewage is the only reason that time seems not to have stopped.

"You've all volunteered for this, so you know what is at stake. At this very moment, we're standing right under a large cupboard located in the east wing of the presidential palace. We've five minutes until execution. Every person here knows his or her individual tasks and place?"

Nods of confirmation can just barely be seen in the sparse light.

"Good. Nevertheless, I'll go through the mission one last time. We'll drill a hole in the floor, big enough for a man to pass through. It should take maximum 10 minutes. When we're standing in the cupboard, we will move from here and along the corridor to the south in accordance with the guards' rotations."

As he speaks, the commander points out their route on the map. The red dots on the map indicate the positions of the guards and the map seems to be covered in rod dots. But no one seems to be frightened by the sight. This is what they are trained to do.

"Now, as we advance, we will encounter the stationary guards. They have to be taken out without the slightest sound. Any sound, any mistake and we'll be done for it. This room at the end of the hall is our target. This is the First Lady's lodgings. President Snow and his wife sleep separately at the moment. The boy is only 1 month old and will still be breastfeeding, so he'll be near his mother at all time. Also, there will be guards inside the room as well, and we'll most likely be discovered here. The orders are simple; kill the guards, pacify the First Lady, and take the boy. At this point, we'll have to return to the cupboard from which we came as fast as possible. We'll be one man down, since one of you will have to carry the boy. Leeg 1, that will be you."

The woman, known as Leeg 1, confirms her place in the mission, "Yes, commander Boggs."

"We'll then retreat down here and follow the same path out as we came in. If we've been discovered, we'll most likely be able to run straight for the hovercraft. The guards will have turned off the traps in fear of harming the heir. We'll have to reach the hovercraft before they do."

With that Boggs, rolls up the map, places it in a pocket and readies his weapon. The soldiers shift from one foot to the other, gripping their own weapons as they prepare for what will be their most challenging mission to date.

As the watch tells of the beginning of midnight, it seems the soldiers turn into carefully trained robots. The procedures they have repeated ad nauseam are coded into their movements. One person marks the place to drill and another controls the small drill. And 9 minutes later, the soldiers are able to remove the piece of the floor and make their entrance.

As they enter the cupboard one by one, they have to remove several items, so the whole area around the hole is uncovered and there is space enough for them all to be standing there. Commander Boggs goes straight to the door of the cupboard and pulls out an electronic device, which shows any human moments on the other side of the door. A patrolling guard is approaching the cupboard and he is right on schedule. With one hand in the air Boggs signals for the others to stand completely still, ready to go. As the guard has passed the door, the signal to leave the cupboard is given.

In the blink of an eye, Boggs has managed to break the guard's neck and catch him before he hits the floor. Two other soldiers make sure to place the body inside the cupboard, to buy them more time before the next guard is to patrol the area.

Everything goes fluently and according to plan. They manage to take out the guards in the hallway without making their presence known, whether it is by brute force or with specialized soundless guns. And soon, they find themselves in front of a huge white double door with beautifully carvings embedded with gold leaves. The commander turns to Leeg 1 as if to ask her if she's ready to grab the child. She gives him a slight nod and the commander places his hand on the door handle.

Counting down from three with his fingers he turns the handle and the soldiers storm inside the room, guns at the ready and fires at every guard in the room. The sounds of gunfire from the peacekeepers' weapons echo through the hall. Quickly, Leeg 1 scans the giant room until she spots the elaborate crib made from solid gold and marble with curtains of silk. Obviously it did not take long to locate the baby. As she reaches the crib she looks down upon the baby inside it. He's starting to stir due to the noise in the room. Even at this early stage, it is clear that the boy has inherited his mother's beauty with his perfect features and tufts of golden, soft curls on his head. Leeg 1 is about to reach for the boy when she sees something in the corner of her eye that neither of her fellow soldiers have detected and no one has been prepared for.

The First Lady has risen from her bed. Her beautiful, long, blond hair still has the perfect soft curls and her skin unblemished, complemented by her long white silken nightgown with laces at the edges. Even in a situation like this she holds herself with such poise that one would only expect of the highest-ranking woman in the country. Not a single person would have thought her to be in distress at this very moment; only her chest is heaving heavily which gives away her current physical state. In her hands she holds a gun, finger ready at the trigger, and the gun is pointing directly at Leeg 1. "Get away from my son, bitch." she snarls, her icy blue eyes sending daggers at the intruder.

But before she manages to fire the gun, she stills. Her light blue eyes widen, her mouth opens in shock and she falls forward into her bed, where the expensive sheets slowly are getting soaked from the blood pouring from her chest. Leeg 1 looks up, and sees her sister, known as Leeg 2, still holding her own gun towards the exact same position where the First Lady had been standing a moment ago.

The whole room falls silent; everyone is staring at the dead woman. The palace guards have been taken down and only two of the soldiers from 13 have a superficial hit, which they are desperately trying to bandage.

It's the sound of the crying baby in the crib that brings them back to reality. Leeg 1 quickly reaches for the boy and takes him into her arms. She also takes his sleeping blanket from the crib and clads him in it. Then she tries to lull him back to sleep, but the boy clearly only wants his mother. Well, that's a bit difficult know.

"Soldier, what happened?" Boggs commands. He is furious and he keeps looking from the First Lady to Leeg 2, not quite believing what had just transpired. "I said pacify, not kill the First Lady! Was that difficult to understand?" he rages.

"It was an instinctive move, sir. She had a gun pointing at my sister. There was nothing else I could have done! I would have pulled the trigger a thousand times over to prevent her from killing any of us." Leeg 2 says.

"Well, there is nothing we can do about it now. There's no reason to linger, phase 3 is initiated. Move it! Leeg 1, make sure you keep that boy from crying. He's giving away our position."

As they run down the hallway towards the cupboard, the sirens start and all the light is turned on. Their time being unnoticed has come to an end. As they descend down the hole in the cupboard they can hear the sounds of guards heading their way.

Boggs is leading the team through the pipes as fast as he can, making sure that no one triggers a pod. In the meantime he makes contact to District 13. "This is commander Boggs to headquarters, we have the package. I repeat, we have the package. Approaching evacuation point."

Everyone lets out a sigh of relief when the confirmation comes from the communicuff, "Commander Boggs, this is headquarters. Hovercraft is ready for take off."

"Good, that's not a moment too soon, because here comes the guards!" a soldier, named Jackson, shouts from the back as she actives a small hand grenade and throws it back against the guards that are approaching them in the pipe.

"That means they have shut off the pods. There is no way they would have reached us this fast with the pods still activated. Now, run for it!" Boggs yells at them.

They manage to reach the hovercraft before the Capitol has found their hiding place and soon the pilots have the hovercraft in the air. No one says a word. Just because they're out of the sewers it doesn't mean that they are safe. Safety can only be found when they have landed in District 13 without the Capitol on their tails.

They have been flying for a few hours and Leeg 1 is still trying to keep the baby from crying, but nothing seems to be working. And just like that a small boy of 1 month of age manage to remind them all about how nothing is certain before the mission is completed. Jackson turns to her, "Is there really nothing you can do to calm him?"

"I am trying. He's probably upset about the way he was ripped from his sleep… or he could be hungry. That's very likely." Leeg 1 says.

"That's another reason we'll have to get him to 13 as soon as possible. There is a nurse waiting for him with plenty of milk. Everything has been made ready, you know that."

Leeg 1 holds the boy closer to her as she tries to give him her little finger to suckle on. "Poor boy. Only a month old and already motherless." she whispers. But Jackson shakes her head at this. "Don't say that. He is fortunate that we have removed him from Snow. That boy will bring Panem to a better place once he is old enough for the rebellion to take place. Besides, it was either you or his mother. And I'm glad that you're still here."

Boggs comes over to them, his face looking very grim, "Ladies, I'm afraid I'll have to put an end to your conversation. We have company and lots of it. Buckle up."

The pilots of the hovercraft start to make evasive manoeuvres and it is not a moment too soon when they hear the shots being fired. "They're shooting at us. Are they crazy! We could crash and all of us, including the child, would die!"

They manage to evade for a time, but then it happens - twice. The whole hovercraft shakes violently but still manage to stay in the air. One of the pilots calls out for Boggs. "Commander, we're hit. Two of our engines are down. We can keep on flying but they'll catch up with us pretty quickly."

"Damn! Those idiots know what they are aiming for. They are forcing us to land if we don't want them to board us." Boggs takes a look at his crew, knowing he has to take a quick decision. "Take us down. We'll proceed by foot. But try shake them off, if you can!"

* * *

Unfortunately it is not possible to shake off the Capitol's hovercrafts, but their own hovercraft is slightly smaller in size and they are able to land in the forest below them, whereas the Capitol's hovercrafts will have to find a larger landing site.

The entire crew of the hovercraft are now finding themselves in the middle of a forest in the winter. The snow has not fallen yet, but the air is cold and unfriendly and the night cloaks them in darkness. The cold weather seems to have managed to do what Leeg 1 could not, making the boy fall silent.

As they have moved on foot in the direction of 13 for a while, Jackson suddenly cries out, "Commander, parachutes! They're not landing, they are coming down from above! There is no way we can move as quickly as we have to with a baby!" And just like that, the baby starts crying again, as if he thought it was his cue to make his presence known.

They all look up and see the peacekeepers gently floating down towards the forest. They are easy to spot with their light parachutes reflecting the moonlight in the dark.

"Listen up! New plan. We're going to abandon the mission for now. Leave the boy here; he'll give away our location. We're to run towards the abandon hut in sector 18, forcing the peacekeepers in that direction, so they won't notice the boy. And from there, we'll have the advantage when they come." Boggs orders them.

"But the boy…" Leeg 1 starts.

Boggs throws her a dark look. "Hide the boy, soldier! We'll come back for him. Abandon mission, that's an order!"

Leeg 1 spots a hollow tree trunk not far from them and places the bundle in there. But before she leaves, she whispers softly to the baby, promising to come back for him before long.

And with that, the soldiers from District 13 run in the opposite direction with the peacekeepers at their trail.

* * *

That same winter night, a man in deep sorrow is on his way back home from the meadow. In his hand he holds a shovel, that he had used for what no parent should ever had to endure – the burial of his still-born daughter. Fortunately, the birth had taken places late in the evening, and no one would probably have seen him carrying his dead baby girl in a bundle through the district. His other two children, both boys, are with their grandparent tonight and have been spared of seeing the disaster. But he will not be able to conceal the fact that there will be no little sister for them to play with. The district will surely know of their misfortune when tomorrow comes, but at least they will have the night to mourn in peace.

The man walks along the fence surrounding his district. This route is where he is sure no one will find him, and he knows that he does not have the strength to receive the pity and condolences from anyone he might meet. But then he hears something on the other side of the fence. A sound from the woods beyond the district. A faint cry, perhaps? A cry from baby? His mind must be playing him a trick. Of course, there is no baby in the woods. Why would there? His sorrow has taken too great a hold of him and now he starts imagine things.

But then the sound intensifies in volume. No, it _is_ a baby. He's sure of it. But there seems to be no one near. Could that poor child be alone? Alone and abandoned? Before he can stop himself, he has placed both hands on the fence, spying into the woods. When he discovers what he had done, he yanks them back. What was he thinking? He could have been electrocuted! But luckily, the fence had not been turned on and since there is not a person near him, he makes up his mind and falls onto his knees and starts digging the fence up.

He manages to tear the fence out of the ground for just a bit, so that he will be able to crawl under it. His determination to pass the fence seems only to intensify as he hears the baby crying. Once he is through, he follows the sound until he stands before a large oak tree that must have fallen in a storm. As he searches the tree, he spots an opening near the ground and he cannot believe his eyes at the sight that greats him.

A small, moving bundle is lying inside the opening and the sounds are unmistakably the cries of a baby. He takes the small bundle in his arms and look down upon one of the sweetest baby boys he has ever laid eyes upon. The boy is definitely no older than 1 and half month, maybe two months, but certainly no older. His hair colour is golden and his complexion fair. But it is his eyes that make the man grow soft. Blue eyes, that are as clear as the sky and so full of love that it is impossible to look away.

The boy has stopped crying and is instead examining the man holding him. Perhaps he thinks he is his father because of the blond hair and blue eyes that they share. His father? Maybe he could be…

"Hello? Is someone out there?" the man calls out, but no answer comes.

The man looks down upon the small boy in his arms. Poor little thing, he must have been abandon. Who could ever do that to such a lovely boy? He looks around the clearing, what creatures could lure out there? The baby will never survive on its own during the winter. In that moment, the man makes up his mind and turns around and walks back towards the district with the baby lying safely in his arms.

He manages to return home without meeting anyone on his way – and most importantly no peacekeepers. As he enters the shop and makes his way up the stairs to their family's living quarters he is met with same scene from which he left. His wife sitting in an armchair clutching a small pink blanket while she stares into the fire with vacant eyes.

"Darling." he softly says as he approaches to her.

She lifts her eyes to him and they immediately harden. "What is that in your arms? You were supposed to bury her, not bring her back here. Are you out of your mind to come back with her!"

The man takes a seat beside his wife. "I did bury her and laid flowers upon her grave. But I was delayed on the way home as I heard this little fellow call out." He explains. He gazes at the boy in his arms who seems to want to know where he is as he starts trashing around inside the blanket.

His wife looks at him as if he had told her that he wanted to walk naked around the district. "You must be completely mental. You have not only brought home a baby to vex me in my sorrow, but Seam trash? - that's even worse! How could you do this to me!" she yells at him.

"No, no, my dear. Not at all. I would never have done this if I thought it was wrong of me. Look at him. His skin is fair, his hair is blond and look at the eyes, they're blue. I don't believe there is a single drop of Seam in him." he assures her.

His wife reluctantly takes a peak inside the blanket and to her astonishment she sees everything her husband had described. The small boy must have seen her too, since he starts to squirm even more inside his blanket, managing to get his tiny arms free and almost reaches for her as he starts whimpering.

The man smiles a sad smile in his wife's direction "I know you're hurting. But I believe with all my heart, that I must have found this little boy for a reason. Fate might have taken our daughter from us, but now we have been fortunate enough to be granted a son. It is as if he was meant to be ours. Goodness me, he looks almost to be newborn. No one would have to know about what has happened tonight. No one would _ever_ have to know besides you and me."

He turns his attention to the boy that has clearly grown unhappy. "You poor little thing, how much suffering you have already been through. You must be starving." he coos.

His wife lets out a heavy sigh and throws away the pink blanket. "Fine! Give him to me." she states. The man unwraps the baby from the bundle and handles him to his wife. As she starts to unbind the strings on the front of her dress with one hand, she sharply points out that no one can know about him not being their biological son… ever!

And as the small boy greedily sucks the milk from her breast, she aims a question at both her new son and at her husband, now a father of three. "Well, little one, what shall we call you?"

The answer comes swiftly from her husband, "Peeta… Peeta Mellark."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **This is an idea that I have been thinking about for almost a year, and I finally managed to sit down and actually write the prologue. I know that there are stories out there with either Katniss or Peeta being the child of Snow, and I love those stories even though I cannot say to have read them all, but I thought I would give it a go with my own twist to it. I have so many ideas to where this story can lead to, but I guess it will be decided as I go along. Since English is not my first language, I apologize for all the mistakes I have made.**


	2. Chapter 2 - Peeta

**AN - Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games series, the Tudors, or M.A.S.H.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 _16 years later_

The flames in the grand fireplace made of light marble with the elaborate gold decorations are dancing a slow and fluid dance. It illuminates the room in a warm glow, aiding the scarce light from the desk lamp shaped as an ancient vase with small porcelain animals carved into the surface. An old-fashioned map of Panem is spread out and covers the entire surface of the huge desk. The map shows every detail of Panem, from the districts, to the woodlands between the districts, the grand mountains and to the smallest lakes. The map had been marked into small squares and almost every single one of them had been crossed over with a red X.

This map had been his best friend, his foe and his hope for the past 16 years. Since the search had been initiated he had insisted upon doing this by hand and not entrust the vital information to be saved in their databases, since all kind of technology could be hacked. And for the sake of peace in Panem, this was the last thing he needed the people to know of. The speculations about the details of his wife's untimely death had been bad enough, but he stood firm that it was due to a fatal "accident".

To prove that nothing was amiss, he had declared that the country should continue to believe that his son was safe and well taken care of. Every year on the heir's birthday, as it was custom, the people of Panem would gather, Capitol and districts alike, to sing his praises. But apart from that, he kept everyone in the dark – only his closest advisors, his highest-ranking military generals and a few other vital persons knew the truth. The rest of the presidential household had been told that the heir had been brought to a safe house until he was old enough to return to the presidential palace. But he knows he cannot keep the secret for long. As tradition dictates, the heir to the presidential seat is to be presented to the people on his or hers 18th birthday, when the person comes of age. That gives him only two more years to find and bring his son home.

He had always considered himself to be a reasonable man, but in that unfaithful night he had vowed that when he found the persons behind this scheme, he would make sure to inflict upon them the worst kind of torture that had ever been invented. Any pleasure those rebels got from this wretched plan of theirs, would be nothing – **_nothing_** \- in comparison to the pain they and their families are going to feel at the hand of his torturers.

There is a soft knock on the door. He had heard that type of knock a hundred times before and he knows what it means. As he bids the person to enter his private study, he reaches for the red pen to cross out the last two squares.

The man walks up and stands before his desk, papers in hand and a sorrowful and what is likely to be a slightly worried look on his face. "I am very sorry, President Snow. There is no news. Sector 575 and 576 were dead ends as well."

His commanding officer, minister Antonius had a right to have taken such a sorrowful feature. After crossing out sector 575 and 576, Snow looks at him while raising himself to his full height. "I refuse to believe that. You haven't been looking hard enough. If my son was killed or taken prisoner, the rebels would have announced it to all of Panem in a heartbeat. No, he's still out there. Somewhere."

"Your Excellency, we have rallied up every known and believed rebel in all of Panem and… pressurized them for information. The woodlands between the districts have been searched again and again down to the last slightest detail. Even the wastelands of District 13 have been scoured." the minister tries to explain.

"And the districts? What about them? What is our progress in the search there?" the president enquires.

The minister fiddles with his papers in search for the enquired details. He pulls out a paper from the stack and quickly scans it. "Sir, our reports say that we already have checked every community home this year - as we have done every year. No baby matched your son's DNA 16 years ago, and to this day, no boy who could resemble your son is a match."

The president gives a tiny nod in acknowledgement of the information. He crosses the room and finds himself in front of the fireplace. For a minute or two he just watches the flames flick and burn, then he states, "They might have changed his hair and eye colour. Have you thought of that?"

"We have, Your Excellency. And that is why this time we have checked every single boy of 16 years of age in the community homes in each of the 12 districts. No results there either, I'm afraid. Mr. President, if I may? I think it's time to stop wandering around in the dark. It's time for the most throughout search Panem has ever seen…"

The minister halters a bit before finding the courage to continue. Very slowly he begins to speak, almost fighting himself to utter the words, "I feel ashamed to tell you, that there is one crucial detail we may have overlooked. It might be possible that your son could be living with a district family – that he has been given a fake identity."

"But if that was the case wouldn't we known it by now? The blood samples from every citizen have been registered in the justice buildings. Surely, my son would have been discovered if he had been among them." the president states as a matter of fact, immediately dismissing the idea.

Again the minister shifts nervously on his feet, the conversation clearly getting to the point of which he had feared. "True sir… but not if your son's DNA was entered in the database twice under different names. The system is set to recognize the citizens by name first, not DNA."

President Snow whirls around at an astoundingly speed considering his age. The anger in his eyes mirrors the burning flames from the fireplace as he spits at the officer maliciously while trying to control his rage. "I beg your pardon? You have just discovered this now? How misfortunate I am to have so many ill-conditioned advisors. This is outrageous! You do realise, that if this is true, and my son is thought to be a citizen of one of the districts, then he would have been eligible for the Games for four years!"

As the president manages to quell his rage for a moment, the minister mutters an apology, "Yes, that is extremely unfortunate…"

Immediately, minister Antonius is cut off, "Unfortunate? That word will not even cover your fate if it turns out that my son – the only heir to Panem - have been reaped and killed in the Games."

The minister visible shudders and begins stuttering his apologies. It is a pitiful sight. "Sir… I'm so sorry. I… Your Excellency must forgive me…"

"Yes, yes, I know, I must forgive you. I must always forgive you, but I grow tired of forgiving you! I have given you everything, raised you to one of the highest levels in our society, and what do I get in return? Don't you know that I can drag you down as quickly as I raised you?" Snow sneers at him.

The president turns to face the flames once more as he takes a deep breath trying to quench his rage once again. Only the aftermath of his rage is filling up the splendid room, as the minister, normally such a prominent figure in the Capitol's political life, seems to have become one with the darkness.

After what seems like an eternity President Snow speaks again; "This is what we will do. You will make the technicians change the database-system so that every personal file can be compared with my son's DNA. You and your so called 'team of experts' will then start going through all the male tributes that have been in the Games for the last four years. And you better pray that there is no match to be found. Afterwards, you will start comparing the files of every single boy from 15-17 years of age in Panem. Start with District 1 and work your way through the districts. And you better find him before the reaping. You have four months at your disposal."

Minister Antonius bows so deeply that he almost sweeps the floor with his uniform while he clutches the papers in his hands. "Yes, sir. Thank you sir. I'll work day and night; no one in the entire department will sleep before the heir has been found."

As he reaches the door, the president's voice echoes through the room, "Antonius … don't you dare return without a name and a DNA-match of 100%."

* * *

He cannot believe his own eyes. It must be a dream come true. She's here! She is actually here in the school's gym, sitting in the back of the spectators' enclosure next to Madge Undersee. Of course, if this was truly a dream she would be here voluntarily and not because she probably had been coerced by Madge into showing up and she would be wearing a shirt with his name on it, maybe even blow him a kiss for good luck. But as she is sitting on the bench in her normal clothes, her signature braid made of beautiful and lush dark hair resting gently over her shoulder, glancing out on the masses, he is certain it is no fantasy of his… but close enough, right? She is here and that is all that matters at the moment. Can there be a slight chance she might be here for him? Well, a guy can dream. And maybe, just maybe she will push through the crowd, come up to him and tell him that -

"Peeta! Snap out of it!"

"Huh?" And that is how his bubble of joy bursts. The loud noise inside the gym comes crashing back into his perimeter along with the smell of dampness from sweat in the air and the sight of his second oldest brother right in his face, effectively blocking his view of Katniss Everdeen entirely.

"What on earth are you doing?" Rye whispers as he tries to make Peeta focus on the task at hand.

"Dreaming, I think." Peeta mutters more to himself than his brother. He sure had and what a time to chose to let his fantasies run off.

"I can see that, but guess what? Wake up!" With a snap of his fingers, Rye brings him back to reality and just in time. He is currently finding himself sitting on a wooden stool at his side of the matt just before the start of a wrestling match – the district school's semi-finals to be exact. This is his last match of the day as the final is held a week from now so the competitors have a chance to both practise and recover before the big showdown.

Rye is already a finalist, having fought his way to victory only 30 minutes ago and that means he has time to coach Peeta. He is still wearing his own wrestling uniform and his hair and not to mention his body odour is in desperate need of a bath. So basically, Peeta could have seen his own reflection since he probably looks the same at the moment. They are probably quite a sight at the moment, and he pities the persons standing close to them.

Their oldest brother, Bannock, had been the district champion when he was in school last year after having defeated Rye in a head-to-head match - and also the year before that and the year before that as well. Now, it is almost a tradition that the final is to be between two Mellark brothers – and this year it is Peeta's turn to be a contestant. Up until now everything had gone according to plan. He had taken down all his competitors with relative ease. But then he takes a better look at his opponent sitting at the opposite end of the matt.

"I'm not sure I want to wake up. Just look at him." Peeta admits in a voice so low that only Rye is able to hear him.

His opponent is a guy from the Seam who Peeta knows is in Rye's class, which makes him two years older than Peeta. He also knows that although this guy is a member of the wrestling team just like himself, he never practice in the same place as Peeta. Apparently, the unwritten rule about not mixing Seam and Merchants still stands, even at sport events. It has nothing to do with their coach keeping them separately, it's just the way things work. None from the Seam wish to train at the same time as the merchants, a silent statement of which the merchants seem to agree with. The conclusion is that Peeta has actually never seen his opponent practise. He knows none of his weaker points, none of his fighting style and this guy seems pretty intimidating if he has to be honest.

Rye gives a quick glance at the opponent and then focuses entirely on his younger brother. With a wicked smile he tells him, "Don't worry about him. Those muscles are rented."

* * *

Turned out Rye was right. The guy was strong, but not strong enough and his technique was way off. When the match began, he came on to Peeta with his full force, but with one fluent motion Peeta managed to turn his own defence into an offence by turning his opponent's own strength against him. He was able to pin him down pretty quickly.

Rye is beside himself with joy due to with his brother's triumph and manages to get Peeta into a headlock and shuffles his sweaty golden curls into a mess - just to set the stage for next week. Delly Cartwright, Peeta's best friend, is ecstatic and her happy cries threaten to burst his eardrums as she hugs him tightly. All his friends seem to want to congratulate him on his win and to have his attention. But Peeta has a whole other matter on his mind. He quickly looks up at the back of the spectators' enclosure, desperately trying to find Katniss among the other students. He spots Madge rather quickly, who is on her way to reach him. For a short moment his heart rate quickens, but his vain hope that Katniss would still be with Madge disappears when Katniss is nowhere to be seen. Dammit, she was there a moment ago and now she had left. Did she even stay to see his win?

"Why Peeta, I knew you had it in you! We haven't disappointed our fans and now we will have another Mellark vs. Mellark finale round yet again. But don't you think, I'll let you win, baby bro'. Bannock never went easy on me, so don't count on me going easy on you. Enjoy your victory while you can, because you're going down." Rye teases him as he makes a point of pinching Peeta's left cheek.

The disappointment that Katniss had bailed the moment the fight had ended – or perhaps the moment it started – does not last for long. As it turned out, their dad had given Bannock the afternoon off so he could be present in the gym to watch his brothers wrestle. And now, Peeta finds himself surrounded by his friends and his two brothers as they exit the gym. Their mood is high as his friends keep talking about todays' matches, analysing the moves of each contestant. They don't even acknowledge the thick knee-high winter coat of snow that they are forcing their way through, nor does the cold bickering wind manage to shake them.

As they make it to the crossroad separating the Seam from Town their mood turns sour, as a group of five people from the Seam passes them by. Obviously they know Peeta's opponent, as one of them snickers loud enough for everyone to here, "Yeah, laugh all you want. But it doesn't matter a thing. Wrestling is just a kid's game; boxing is for real men. And not one of you townies, watching down upon us from your ivory towers, will even last a second if it came to a real fight."

"What is that supposed to mean Dagan? Are you really such a bad looser that you can't see that your brother was wiped out twenty minutes ago by a 15 year old? Maybe if you had taught him how to wrestle properly, it wouldn't have been such a pitiful sight. If wrestling is for kids, then you're probably too dumb to know how to box since you clearly don't know a thing about wrestling!" Rye snaps back at him.

Peeta wants to slap him – or at least stuff his face with snow. Of course, Rye has been stupid enough to take the bait before anyone could stop him. Sure, it's nice that Rye for once defends him, but there is no reason for a quarrel and especially over something as stupid as hurt imaginary pride. Delly takes a step closer to Peeta, holding on to his arm as she nervously looks from Rye to Dagan. Sensing her discomfort Peeta brings his arm around her frame to comfort her and to insure her that nothing is going to happen – or at least he hopes nothing is going to happen.

The guys from the Seam exchange knowing looks as Dagan smirks at Rye. He crosses his arms across the chest and gives Rye an upward nod, which gives him a look of arrogance. "You want to play that game? All right, Mellark. In that case, don't you think it's time to sort out the men from the boys around here? You pick your best townie to fight in a boxing match and we'll pick our contestant. Only adults – that is 19 years and older. And to make things easy for you, we choose Larkwood. Now you know the opponent."

Rye scans the small crowd and it does not take him a long time to think. Apparently, he has already chosen his pick in less than ten seconds, "Fine. I choose Bannock. After all, he has won the wrestling tournament three years in a row. Let's see if this Larkwood can compete with that."

Stuffing Rye's face with snow will not do any longer. He needs to be coated in snow from top to bottom, and Peeta has to make sure that it gets under all of his clothes. From the way these guys are smirking, he decides that they look far too happy about the turnout of this little 'conversation'. Rye must have missed something. Who is this Larkwood-person anyway?

Dagan directs his attention to Bannock and gives him a loaded smile, "Five days from now at 6 pm; behind the school's gym. Don't be late."

Peeta and his friends remain standing in the snow as they watch Dagan and his gang leave. Once they are out of sight, Bannock grabs Rye by the arm, the panic and frustration flowing from him. "Are you crazy? What have you gotten me into? A real fight?!"

Rye, however, does not seem fazed about it at all, in fact he looks quite at peace. "Relax, Bannock. You're the best wrestler the district has ever had. You'll be fine." he states as he removes his arm from his brother's grip.

And with that, Rye begins to walk away, leaving the others behind. Bannock takes a moment to collect himself before stumbling after Rye, but not before muttering, "One day, I'm going to strangle him."

* * *

Since all of the Mellark brothers have a fight ahead of them, Rye has designed a brutal workout program for the three of them but Peeta is sure the workout is mostly to get Bannock into shape again. Bannock had been working full time at the bakery for the last year, and even though his strength has not faltered, his condition needs all the help it can get.

Currently, Peeta is jogging in a steadfast tempo on the snow-clad roads. He's at the front of the line. Rye has placed himself in the middle, taking on the job of coaching Bannock into shape. "Let's go! Don't remember to breathe deeply. Run!"

Rye barks out the orders like he has the time of his life watching Bannock struggle. Peeta slows down a bit so the two others can catch up. When they do, Bannock comes to a stop and places his hands on his knees as he breathes heavily, "I'm tired, Rye. How far have I run?" he asks.

"80 feet." Peeta tells him. Surely, he cannot be done for already.

"That'll do it." Bannock wheezes, "I figure to punch him, not run him to death."

"No way! We have 30 minutes ahead of us." Rye states. He walks over to Bannock and takes a hold of his clothes and pulls him into an upright position. "Come on, you spineless slug. Pick those legs up! Move it!"

* * *

"Now, put more shoulder into it. Use your whole body. Try it again!"

They are two days into Rye's program and Bannock is trying to learn to control his punches by using their punching back that is hanging from one of the naked branches of the apple tree in their backyard. Rye has made himself Bannock's official coach and Peeta, his assistant.

Delly comes walking around the corner of the bakery with one of their bags in her arms. She must have been sent to the bakery for her mother, who at the moment is ill with the flu.

"Morning Delly" Peeta greets happily. Delly's visits are always something that lightens everyone's spirits. She raises her hand to them in a cheerful greeting, "Morning, guys. I can see you are busy?"

Peeta is about to tell her about Rye's crazy workout plan and of Bannock's progress, but before he can utter a word, Rye is all about strictness and once again takes the task of coaching way too seriously. "I'm afraid I can't ask you to stay. My boy's in training. He is not even supposed to look at a woman till after the fight." he clarifies.

Fortunately, Delly never takes things personally. She just smiles understandingly and with a twinkle in her eyes, she says, "Oh, I understand. Good luck!" And with another cheerful wave she is on her way.

* * *

The day before the fight, Delly comes by the bakery to visit. But unlike the other day when she found them by the punching bag, she looks far from cheerful. She gives them a smile that does not reach her eyes as she sits down at the main table in the back of the bakery.

Peeta is deep into frosting a bunch of cupcakes with different shapes of snowflakes to make them seem more winter-like to go with the season. He puts down the frosting bag and walks over to her.

"Anything wrong, Delly?" he gently asks her. For good measure he places a hand on her shoulder, which he knows has a calming effect on her.

She starts fiddling with a spoon that lies on the table. As casually as she can, she tells them about her resent discovery. "I've just seen the fighter from the Seam. He looks really big… looks kind of mean too."

That earns her Bannock's full attention. "Mean?" he asks slightly concerned.

Rye is quick to butt into the conversation, "What does 'mean' mean? 'Mean' means nothing. It's skill that counts. Big and mean have nothing to do with it."

Yeah right, Peeta thinks. Technique will get you a long way in wrestling, but if the opponent in boxing only needs one punch to knock you out, then the odds are not in your favour. That's probably what Rye had missed about Dagan's 'gracious' challenge the other day. And now, Bannock risks spending tomorrow evening as a punching bag. Great Rye. Just excellent!

Delly seems to be thinking something along the same lines as she elaborates, "It's said that he was working down in the mines and this runaway mine cart came too close to him…" she makes a small pause before she continues, " … he punched it."

"He punched a runaway minecart?" Peeta slowly asks. But that is crazy. No one can do that and walk away unharmed, can they? He searches her face for any sign that she might be pulling a joke on them. But he finds none. Instead her face remains sad.

"He knocked it out." she tells them in almost a whisper.

For a moment the back of the bakery is completely silent. The warmth from the ovens seems to diminish as the chilling information sinks in. Then Bannock throws a fit out of pure desperation, "Rye! This guy knocks out runaway mine carts! I tell you one thing. This fight has just been called on account of chicken."

"We're not going to throw in the towel!"

"I'm ready to throw in the whole laundry basket!" Bannock exclaims. And to make a statement, he slams his own dishtowel onto the table with as much force as he can muster.

What had started as a normal shift and brotherly banter has turned out to be an intense staring competition with a contestant on each side of the working table. Although Peeta has great confidence in Bannock's wrestling abilities, he starts to doubt if they are useful when boxing against a man that seems to be made of stone. Rye, on the other hand, still seems to think that they can win this. "That ape will never lay a glove on you. Trust me."

The wheels inside Bannock's head seem to be working on maximum. Thinking he knows what Rye means, he points a finger towards Rye and nods frantically, "Right, I'll go down during the instructions."

Rye snorts and gives him a look that clearly says 'are you mental?'. "A little obvious, don't you think?" He takes a moment to think, his eyes is completely shut and that is a typical sign that a concoction of a plan is in the making, and those things never go well. And sure enough, a moment later he almost beams as he looks at the three of them with a triumphant smile, "I got a better idea. Just give me an hour and you'll see."

Before any of them can question him, Rye has untied his apron, grabbed a sweater and his jacket and storms out of the back door. He is likely far away when Bannock calls after him, "But your ideas are always shit."

* * *

Two hours later, Peeta and Bannock have finally managed to end their shifts downstairs and cleaned the entire room using a whole hour more than usual thanks to Rye. Bannock is taking a powernap on his bed while Peeta is sitting by the worn and old desk that had been placed in their room. Peeta sneaks a glance at Bannock and cannot help but feeling a bit jealous at him for the moment. He can relax while Peeta has to complete his math homework that he has tried to postpone for as long as possible, which now comes back full of vengeance to bite him in a certain area. He eyes the bed again. It looks softer than his own, but that is probably because he shares a bunk bed with Rye. And Rye is the most restless sleeper of all time, making the bed shake every time he tosses and turns. Oh, the privilege of being younger and having to share a room with your two brothers.

Rye storms into their room, looking much like the cat that just ate its prey. Bannock opens one eye to see what all the fuss is about. With a triumphant gesture Rye brings out a small blue metal bottle, where the colour has faded drastically over the years. So basically, it looks like the bottles they have downstairs. But it's when he opens the bottle that Peeta, or rather when his nose, understands what the bottle contains.

"Is that ether?" he asks as he pinches his nose to avoid having to smell it.

The smile on Rye's face falters for a moment as he quickly shuts the door behind him and stops the cork back into the bottle. "A little louder. I don't think mom heard it."

So that's Rye's genius plan. He's going to cheat their way to victory. How grand of him. "It's not very ethical."

"It's not even near moral, but all is fair in love and war." he shrugs and with grin he adds, "Perhaps you should borrow it to knock out Hawthorne."

And that is the reason why Peeta hates that his brothers have discovered is crush on Katniss. And in all the years they have known, they have been so kind to remind him of it at every chance they had. Thankfully, they have never embarrassed him publicly or told anyone about it. As far as he is concerned only four persons know about his feeling for Katniss: his father, his brothers and Delly. His mother might not have a suspicion about it, but he has a feeling that she will not take it well if she ever discovered it. Besides, he still blushes when he catches Katniss looking his way, not that she would do that intentionally, but still.

"Shut up, Rye! Where did you even get that?" he asks, trying to get the conversation back on track and to not let his cheeks heat up more than necessary.

"The Hob. I have my contacts in order."

"The Hob? But that's the black market."

Rye leans against the wall next to the desk and Bannock's bed, efficiently planting himself between his two brothers. "So? Don't worry your golden little head about it. Besides, even though you have an impeccable moral, you're not dumb. If Bannock breaks his arms, you and I will have to cover his shifts for weeks."

Well, that is true enough. If Bannock cannot work, he knows all too well who has to cover his shifts for him. Perhaps Rye's plan is not as awful as he thought. Still, that's not to say that it is flawless in anyway.

"Look, I don't want to risk my life on a dumb trick like this. I just aged out of the reapings." Bannock tells them. He is now sitting upright on the bed with his hands on his knees.

"Relax. I know what I'm doing. And we are going to use a lot of it." Rye tries to reassure him that his plan is fool proof, but Peeta has seen enough of Rye's plans go down the drain, so he cannot blame Bannock for not trusting him completely. That is when he comes up with another solution, "I say we should use a horseshoe."

So apparently Bannock is okay with cheating as well. That is a first. But Peeta can clearly see the benefits of cheating just this time, even though that plan could be potentially problematic. Rye shakes his head and lets the bottle in his hand swing from side to side, "A horseshoe is too obvious. Ether is subtle."

"Then let's dip the horseshoe in ether!" Bannock insist.

Rye flops himself down on the bed beside Bannock and throws an arm around him, "Listen. The thing you got to do, is you're got to jab. Keep jabbing. Six whiffs and he'll be out cold. And the thing to remember is not to get it near your own hooter or you're down."

That could actually work, but Bannock could be jabbing for a long time, if he does not get close enough to Larkwood. To be sure he needs to plant the glove in Larkwood's face for at least five seconds. That is when the answer comes to Peeta. Their wrestling skills can still be of good use, "Get him in a clinch?" he suggests.

Rye avidly points at him, "Yeah, that's it. Get him in a clinch and hold it near his nose. He's going to inhale it. He won't even know what hit him. All he can do then is pass out. Problem solved."

Bannock sighs deeply; he probably cannot believe they are actually going to do this, "Just make sure, that you use enough. I don't want this guy to wake up before I've been married for many years."

* * *

Bannock and Rye had left an hour ago. Rye looking confident and extremely happy, as he was in no doubt that the brilliant plan of his was going to be flawless. Bannock, on the other hand had not shared his enthusiasm. After all, he was the one who was going inside the ring. Peeta had not been entirely certain that things were going to go smoothly. So many things could go wrong. Someone could see the ether being poured onto Bannock's gloves, the peacekeepers could have been tipped off about the fight, or someone could be a bad loser and it all could end in a massive fight. Peeta himself had to stay behind for several reasons. Rye's version was that he was to cover for them should their parents ask about their lie of going to the Brogans. Bannock did not want Peeta anywhere near the fight, being the overprotective older brother he is. So instead, it was decided that Peeta should take Bannock's shift at the bakery tonight, preparing the dough for tomorrow.

Still, Peeta cannot help but let his thoughts fly to his brothers as he mixes flour with the eggs, the butter and the milk. Would there even be a fight? Did Rye's plan work? Why are they not back yet? With a sigh he adds the raisins into the dough. It will not do him anything good to be thinking like this. Instead, he lets his thoughts wander off to more pleasant things – like a certain young lady with hair as dark as ebony and eyes as grey as the shining moon.

He thinks about how she was present in the gym the other day. How many of his fights did she see? Hopefully she had seen them all and perhaps he had managed to impress her just a tiny bit. It seems to be the only way he can get her attention. And he desperately needs her attention so he can finally get to speak with her. When he manages to do that he just needs to figure out what his next step will be. He cannot really decide if the best tactic is to go all in and declare himself right away or to become her friend first. That will probably be the best way to do it. But something tells him that just being friends with her will be a different kind of pain than the one he is suffering from at the moment with her being out of his reach. At least, that way he will be closer to her.

Once he had thought of baking something just for her. It had been everything from a heart shaped cookie to a cupcake and even a whole cake with elaborative decorations and frosting, which probably would have earned him a daily beating with the rolling pin for a month or two. But as he became older he was glad he had not done that. Katniss would never have accepted anything of that kind. She would probably have shoved it into his face for making such a pathetic attempt to woo her. What was he thinking at that time? Flounder her with cakes when food is scares in the district? Idiot. Once a time, he had the ridiculous idea to leave her a sketch of herself with a note attached on the side. But he would probably have come off as a creeper and a stalker. No need to say that he gave that idea up pretty quickly.

Until this day he still has not found a good way to tell her about his feelings without making a fool of himself. Every Sunday she and Gale knock on the backdoor to trade and every Sunday he bails. He tries to tell himself that Gale's presence is the reason he gives the frosting extra attention for the five minutes they are there. But if he has to be honest, he probably would not find the courage to speak to her if she came alone. And besides, what can he offer her that Gale Hawthorne cannot? Gale provides for his family. He brings them deer, turkeys, rabbits, and boars. All that Peeta had ever managed to slay was a mouse that had found its way into the storage room; hardly impressive.

Peeta realises that he is kneading the dough with such force that he is practically hitting it. Great, now he can add dough to his kill list.

He looks out of the window and spots two persons wobbling towards the bakery. One is leaning heavily on the other one, who tries to keep them walking in a straight line. Their blond hair almost light up in the darkness of the evening. Oh no, this cannot be good. Peeta quickly wipes his hands clean and abandons the dough on the table as he sprints out of the backdoor. The cold wind envelopes him, but he does not give it a second thought as he runs to his brothers in nothing but a thin, short-sleeved shirt and an apron around his waist over his grey pants.

Bannock is heavily beaten up with bruises several places, a bloody nose and a black eye, that is already starting to swell. Guess there must have been a hick-up to Rye's master-plan, which comes as no surprise to him. Rye is surprisingly unharmed but is clearly suffering from having to carry Bannock all the way home.

"Bannock! Are you okay?" He asks frantically as he reaches them. Immediately he takes the place on the other side of Bannock and lifts Bannock's arm around his neck so he can help holding him up as well.

Peeta can just make out that Rye is shaking his head. "Turns out there was nothing in the bottle but pure water. I don't know what happened!"

"But that doesn't make sense. We all know it was in there yesterday." Peeta says. He had definitely not imagined the foul stench that threatened to take up the entire air in their bedroom yesterday.

"Ahem, boys?"

The deep and usually warm voice makes it through the wind, causing them to an immediate stop and makes Peeta feel the coldness seep into his bones. Their dad is standing right in front of them and in his left hand he holds an exact replica of the bottle Rye had brought with them to the match. Mr. Mellark holds out the bottle so it cannot escape their view. "Does anyone care to explain what this is?" he asks them.

"That's just for… a new recipe I'm trying out. I call it "the knock-out-cake"!" Rye states and he tries to back up his story with the brightest smile he can muster. Not believing his own ears, Peeta manages to smack Rye on the backside of his head. That has got to be the worst lie of all time.

Their dad raises an eyebrow at Rye. Clearly, he has not bought the lie, but then again, who did Rye think he could fool. Certainly not their dad, who knows everything there is to know about his sons. "You want to stick with that story?" he challenges him.

"No, I'm working on a better one." Rye answers cheekily and Peeta mentally facepalms himself.

"Keep working and follow me," their father tells them as he starts to turn around. He stops for a moment and then faces his sons again, this time with a completely new expression. "Bannock? What happened to you?" he asks.

"That's what happens when you take the ether." Rye mutters.

Mr. Mellark throws Rye a dark look and his trademark, his abnormally big amount of patience, is clearing wearing thin, "I see that my oldest son has been beaten to a pulp!"

"Then you should see the guy from the Seam." Clearly, Rye does not get the memo that it is about time to shut up.

Bannock, who has remained oddly quite during the whole encounter has had enough of the bickering and is choosing to let himself known. "Hello! A little concern here? I'm now officially in extreme pain. You don't believe me? ARGH!"

Bannock must have held that roar of pain back for a long time. Peeta is certain that his right eardrum has snapped in two. Geez, if Bannock's voice level represents just half of the pain he is in, then Peeta is surprised that he has not passed out yet.

"What on earth is going on out here!" a harsh voice cuts through the air and the boys freeze on the spot. Oh no, not their mother. The most vicious woman in the entire district. Can this get any worse?

She is standing in the doorway to the back entrance; arms crossed above her chest, hair brought up in a tight bun and a stern frown upon her face. It is actually amazing that her face have not cracked yet from the mere strength in that frown. Her blue eyes send daggers their way for making such a fuss outside the bakery for all to hear. "I can see you have been fighting? Like some mere animal in a cage! And you two, what have you known about this?" she spits at her sons.

Peeta can feel Bannock beginning to stir between them as he awkwardly tries to explain about what exactly had happened. "Mother, I ehm.. you see, what happened was..."

Their mother raises a finger his way "Stop it right there, young man. I will not hear another word. My son, fighting! Unbelievable! And I suppose you got yourself beaten up?"

"Actually, he won." Rye butts in, but as soon as the words have left his mouth, he visibly retracts and waits for a reprimand or perhaps a slap. Peeta has just enough time to think that it probably will be option number one, but then he realises something odd.

Their mother chooses neither of the two options. Instead, she looks at the three of them with a certain curiosity that Peeta cannot quite place. She crosses her arms once more and gives them what might could be mistaken as the hint of a smile. "Well, at least that's something. That Seam-trash will have learned not to mess with our family again."

Then she turns on her heels and walks back into the bakery with the dishtowel fluttering behind her in the wind, leaving her husband and three sons in shock of what had just happened.

* * *

 **AN:**

 **First of all, I would like to thank the wonderful people who decided to review chapter 1. I use the reviews as guidance to make the story as good as possible. So thank you very much!**

 **Well, there you have it. Chapter 2 is done. I had so much fun writing this and I hope it was to your liking. Again, all mistakes are mine as English is not my first language. The idea for the boxing match came from watching an episode of M.A.S.H., and immediately** **I thought of Rye and Bannock, so I had to use it.**

 **Happy New Year to everyone!**


	3. Chapter 3 - Katniss

**AN - Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games series or 'Merlin'.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

Sunday had already been a busy day for Katniss. She started the day in the woods beyond the fence of District 12 to hunt and gather whatever Gale's snares had managed to catch during the night. Afterwards, she had been trading her haul, making her go from one end of the district to the other. At first she had been delighted that her trip to the woods had been so productive. Even though Gale had told her to leave behind all the game that she could not carry, her stubbornness had a whole different opinion. In the beginning she was certain, that she could carry it all, but her delight had vanished when she had to do the actual walking and carrying part. But it quickly reappeared when she traded the game for something else and usually something that did not weigh as much.

The trades reflect the traders. As a hunter she trades meat, furs, plants, berries - basically everything she can find in the woods - and she trades them for whatever means the buyer has. Greasy Sae usually trades for meals, Ripper trades the alcohol she produces – not entirely legal, but as it is in high in demand she can often sell it for a good price, and many of the other tables in the Hob sell whatever household items they can spare or trade for another. The merchants, however, usually pay her in their respective trade or coins.

Normally, Gale would be with her, but he had to stay at home today and take care of Posy, his youngest sibling, who had fallen ill the day before, and his mother, Hazelle, had to work. So today, Katniss is on her own, trading for the both of them. Although Katniss is going to give him his share of their haul, he still insisted that he would go to the woods later to pick up whatever she could not carry and perhaps add to their daily haul.

When Katniss had returned to the district, she went straight for the Hob, where she traded the wild dog with Greasy Sae, and a fox and the meat from two rabbits with Ripper, which had earned her a bottle of alcohol for her mother's work. Then she went to town. She did not have much for the merchants today, but she did manage to trade the first sign of spring berries with Mr Undersee, the Mayor of District 12, the rabbits' fur with the tailor, and now she only needs to trade the two squirrels with Mr Mellark at the bakery.

Before she knocks on the backdoor of the bakery, she prays that Mrs Mellark has not entered the back of the bakery. Through the large front windows of the bakery, Katniss saw her standing behind the counter, serving a woman from town. Hopefully, they will have a lot to talk about so she will stay out in the front. Mrs Mellark has the reputation of being quite a bitter woman who has no sympathy for her fellow district citizens from the Seam. She would rather see them all starve than to help them and she is always under the impression that the people from the Seam are thieves and beggars and not worth caring for. Needless to say, Katniss always tries to keep a good distance between Mrs Mellark and herself.

She straightens up and knocks three times on the door. Before she even has lowered her hand, the back door to the bakery springs open and the baker stands before her with his signature kind smile on his face while he wipes the flour of his hands in the towel that hangs from his belt. "Katniss! We were beginning to worry, that we might not see you today." He leans forward to look from side to side and notices that someone is missing, "I see Gale is not with you?" he asks.

As the baker moved forward to see if he could spot Gale, Katniss gets a glimpse of the inside. The fire in the ovens is roaring and she can see several loaves of bread baking in the upper part of the ovens. On the main table in the centre of the room stand multiple bowls that is probably containing all sorts of dough and delicious creams. On another table lies dough abandoned in a landscape of flour – probably the very thing Mr Mellark was working on before she interrupted him. Direct across from her stands her classmate and the baker's youngest son, Peeta, in front of a plate of muffins. Her eyes find his blue ones, but not a moment later, they flit away from hers to focus on the bowl to his left.

"No. He had to take care of his sister. She has fallen ill, you see." she slowly tells Mr Mellark as she tears her eyes away from the boy she owes so much and instead focuses on opening the sack where the squirrels lie.

"Poor lamb. What a shame." Mr Mellark reaches for something lying on the table beside the door and produces two cookies out of thin air, which he places in a little brown paper bag before he offers it to Katniss. "Here. Give her this from us. And if she cannot stomach it for the moment, then she'll at least has something to look forward to. And of course, there is one for your sister as well." Mr Mellark smiles at her.

Katniss just stares at the little paper bag in front of her. She cannot afford that, not if she wants to bring home a loaf of bread as well, "Mr Mellark. I couldn't - "

But the baker will not hear what she has to say. He gives her a small chuckle as he declines her protest. "Nonsense. I want you to have them and I will not take no for an answer." He takes a step forward and places the bag in her hands, "Here you go."

He then claps his hands to change the matter of subject and looks enthusiastically at the sack in front of her. "Now. What have you brought me today?"

She is slightly embarrassed to tell him that she has only brought two squirrels for him. Usually she is able to bring him three or four squirrels, but then she has Gale to carry some of their other game. "Ehm. I'm afraid I only have two squirrels today."

Mr Mellark seems not to mind that. "Two? But that is more than enough. We'll make soup out of them and between you and me, that is not a bad meal at all." He gives her another kind smile and it makes her wonder how the kindest person in all of District 12 could have ended up married to the wickedest woman of them all. Luckily, none of their three sons have inherited their mother's personality.

"Shall we say two loaves of bread?" he suggests.

Two loaves of bread? That is not a fair trade for him. She cannot allow him to make such a bad bargain, especially when she is certain that Mr Mellark knows that as well. "No!" The word flies out of her and to cover up for her outburst she adds, "I mean… that's too much. You have already given me the cookies. I couldn't possibly ask for more than one loaf for the squirrels."

"Katniss. The cookies are not included in the trade. But if you don't feel your marvellous squirrels are worth two loaves then let me at least give you one loaf and four buns."

One loaf and four buns are too much as well but their trading process ends abruptly when a slightly panicked voice calls from inside the bakery, "Dad?! I think I might need some help in here."

"Oh dear. Rye only asks for help if things are really falling apart. I'm terribly sorry Katniss, but I do believe that I'll have to stop my son from tearing down the pantry." Mr Mellark turns around to address his youngest son, "Peeta? Could you please wrap up the loaf and the buns for Katniss while I go and try to save what's left in there?"

Peeta looks a little perplexed at the request, but his voice does not waver, "Sure Dad."

He abandons the muffins he had been working on with the frosting bag and picks up a larger brown paper bag on his way to the back door. Katniss can feel her palms start to sweat. Talking to Mr Mellark is one thing, but talking to Peeta is another, despite the fact that he is in her class and she sees him almost every day but she has never talked with him. What is she going to say to him? What do you say to the person who saved your family's life but whom you never had the courage to thank?

Peeta is equally silent as he starts to pick out the correct loaf for her. She is so absorbed in her own thoughts, that she is almost shocked to hear his gentle voice. "I'm… I'm sorry about Gale's sister."

"It's nothing serious. She'll be up an about in no time." she manages to tell him. It is only polite to look at the person you are talking to, but for some reason she feels better if she looks anywhere but his face. Instead she ends up looking at his hands as they place the loaf and the four buns inside the paper bag.

"That's good to hear." he tells her as he hands her the bag. Their eyes make contact as she takes the bag from him, but she is very careful not to touch his fingers. For a moment they just stand there looking at each other before Katniss pulls herself together. But instead of saying something to him like 'thank you' or 'have a nice day', she gives him a slight nod of her head and turns to leave while her insides are tumbling over with guilt, hope, and memories.

The strange feelings diminish with each step she takes, but she has taken no more than eight steps before her name is called.

"Katniss! Wait!"

She looks behind her at the bakery and sees Peeta walking towards her. A part of her wants to stay and hear him out, while another is practically urging her to continue walking. She takes another step but then he is there beside her. "Wait, please. I need to speak with you." he tells her.

His blue eyes are frantic and she watches him swallow once. She wonders how she might look at the moment. Perplexed? Indifferent? Bewildered? He quickly looks around to see if anyone is near them, and the movement makes his golden hair rustle in the wind while the strands reflect the sunrays. He seems to come to a conclusion that whatever he has to tell her needs to be told away from prying eyes and ears. Ever so gently, Peeta takes hold of her arm and pulls her with him until they are standing behind the apple tree, giving them at least some coverage from the bakery.

Since Katniss has no idea what is going on, she does not protest. The whole thing is so surreal to her and she looks down at his hand, that is still resting on her arm and she imagines that she can feel the warmth radiating from his touch through her father's old hunting jacket. All too soon Peeta releases his hold on her arm and his hand quickly goes to the back of his neck and then runs through his golden waves. She finds herself mesmerized by the movement. His hair looks so soft up close. Nothing like her own scruffy coal-black hair and even nothing like Prim's blond hair. His hair has another softness to it.

She makes the mistake of letting her gaze wander to his eyes, those blue eyes that gave her hope on that miserable day in the rain years ago. The same blue eyes that stare at her today is still filled with hope, but there is something else. They are pleading for her to listen to him.

"Don't go back out there today."

That breaks her trance immediately. What gives him the right to say what she should or should not do? She can feel her features harden and he seems to have sensed it too as he quickly starts explaining, "I mean, I know it's none of my business but it's just… that is…". He rambles on before pulling himself together and actually makes a full sentence. "I heard some peacekeepers talk in the bakery earlier. Apparently, there is going to be a lockdown of the district today."

She looks at him in shock. A lockdown? That means the electricity will be turned on and the fence will be impenetrable. If it is true, Gale will be stuck out there. She searches his eyes for more information, but it seems like Peeta has shared with her all that he knows. His broad shoulders slump forward and his kind eyes plead for her to listen to him. "Just… don't go out there again today… please." he asks her, his voice just above a broken whisper.

She looks at him, still in shock. She manages to make a slight nod to acknowledge his words and it seems to please him. Peeta lets out a breath of what seems to be relief and gives her a small smile and a nod of his own. She slowly turns around as she lets her thoughts gather and she leaves him underneath the apple tree, the very place where he saved her years ago. One thought takes root. If Peeta is right about the lockdown, will she ever stop owing him?

* * *

Katniss sits on a tall stool by Greasy Sae's homemade counter. It used to be a door from one of the houses in the Seam. 20 years ago, during a cold winter night, the house caught on fire and the flames took the entire family with them before the flames had been put out. It had been a tragedy, but life went on in the Seam and Sae had been able to secure the door like others had tried to make the most of the terrible situation that winter.

Katniss is toying with a spoon and a stew made from the wild dog, she had brought Sae earlier that day. She watches people mill around the hob, trying to make profitable bargains at the tables. Most of them are from the Seam, but occasionally she spots a blond head here and there. Not even the merchants can afford to buy everything from the shops, and it is not everything that can be purchased in Town.

"Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in today." a voice behind her calls. She whirls around on her stool and sees Darius grinning at her. Perfect! He is just the one she hoped to run into. If anybody knows if there indeed will be a lockdown, it will be a peacekeeper. But Darius' personality is as far from a peacekeeper as you can get. In fact, he is the only peacekeeper the people of District 12 actually like, because of his goodhearted and boyish nature.

He takes a seat beside her and tugs the end of her braid playfully, "What brings such a fine girl like yourself here to this location?" he chuckles.

Normally, she would never allow anyone to treat her like that, but she needs to get some information from him, and the better his mood is, the easier it will be. However, before she can answer him, Greasy Sae interrupts them. "She is here for my fine cooking, she is." She sends him a mischievous grin, "And what about you? What will you have?"

Greasy Sae is a lovely woman of no nonsense, but with a heart of gold. She has the special ability to scold a peacekeeper and still make him feel good about it.

"What do you have on the menu?" Darius asks her. She points to the deep plate in front of Katniss, "Wild dog stew, wild dog stew or perhaps I can tempt you with a plate of wild dog stew?"

"In that case, I think I will have the wild dog stew, please." he laughs.

"Excellent choice, dear." Sae exclaims and quickly brings him a deep plate identical to the one Katniss sits with.

Darius immediately begins to shovel the stew into his mouth like it is the most delicious course he has ever tasted. Katniss, however, stops eating as she tries to figure out how to best approach the subject. But she finds that she has no subtle way of asking, so she does what she does best. She jumps straight into the question, "I hear there will be a lockdown later today?" she asks him casually, like it was a completely normal thing to ask about.

"Yeah, I guess it will be some sort of…". he starts but then stops midsentence and lowers his spoon from his mouth. He looks at her with astonishment but also with a hint of hesitation. "Hang on. Where did you hear that?"

She shrugs and fiddles with her own spoon before taking a huge spoonful of the stew into her mouth. She cannot very well betray her source of knowledge. When Darius does not offer her anything else but lets the question hang in the air, she tells him, "Does it really matter?"

He sighs and scratches his flaming red hair right above his ear. "No, I suppose not." He turns in his seat to face her. Before scooting closer to her, he looks from side to side to make sure no one hears him before whispering, "I'm not sure I can be of much assistance. I don't know anymore than you do. All I know is that there will be a curfew later today, but I don't know when that will be or why. And honestly, I don't think even Cray knows what is going on."

He leans back again and gives her a smile, "Who knows? Perhaps it is just a drill."

She wonders about it for a moment. Darius could be right. It could be just that - a drill. But that would be the first one she has been witness to in her lifetime, so somehow it seems unlikely. Whatever it is, she will probably not know the reason for it, unless someone is being flogged in the square tomorrow. And thanks to Peeta, that someone is not going to be her or Gale.

She quickly gobbles up the rest of the stew and hands her plate to Greasy Sae. She needs to find Gale before he goes beyond the fence today. "Right, I'll have to go. Lots to do!" she says, perhaps with a little too much enthusiasm in her voice.

Darius, however, seems not to notice, "Of course. You have important homework to attend to… oh and next time you go out there, could you please bring Sae something else besides wild dog?" he winks at her.

* * *

She reaches the meadow in no time at all. As she stops for a moment under the big oak tree that stands magnificently in the centre of the meadow surrounded by the colourful spring flowers, she shields her eyes from the sunrays as she scans for Gale's tall build. As she stands there, her chest heaving from how fast she had run, she is slightly amazed by how fast a person can actually run, when they set their mind to the task.

For a moment she dreads that Gale has already passed the fence and is in the woods, meaning that she will have to go after him and make it back in time before the curfew starts, which could be in three hours, one hour, 30 minutes or even 5 minutes from now. Then they would both be stuck out there and she would have wasted Peeta's warning. But then she sees him walking along the fence heading for the point where they usually cross the fence. She lets out a breath of relief and stumbles towards him on shaky legs from running through the entire district a few seconds ago.

"Gale!" she shouts out to him. Well, it comes out as wheezing mixed with shouting, but he hears her. Thank god for the keen hearing sense that both he and herself had acquired over the years as part of their hunting skills.

He halts in his tracks and waits for her to reach him. When she does, she places her hands on her knees and tries to still her beating heart and fill her empty lungs. "Don't go out there today." she pants as she manages to snatch the game-sack out of his hands for good measure.

"What on earth are you on about?" he asks her bewildered.

She manages to stand up while clutching the sack firmly, "I don't think you should go hunting today." she tells him decisively.

She takes him in. Gale stands there, looking completely puzzled by her words as if he is not sure that she aware of what she is saying. Then he reaches out for the sack in her hands to try to take it back. She might be out of breath but her reflexes have not faltered and she yanks the sack out of his reach.

He crosses his arm over his chest and looks her straight in the eyes. "Why shouldn't I? I know you were out there this morning, but it is not as if our haul yesterday was that big. We need something to eat in the next days to come. You know that."

She hesitates for a moment, as she tries to think of what to say. She cannot lie to him. He knows her too well for that, so something else will have to do. She involuntarily makes a gesture of distress, "Then we'll ration. I got one loaf of bread and some buns from the bakery and I have kept a rabbit from my hunt. You can have 2/3 of it for your family… It's getting late and I just don't think it is a good idea to go out there now. We'll go tomorrow after school and make up for today." she tries to tell him as calmly as possible, although she is desperate for him to understand and to accept her words.

Unfortunately, Gale is not taking the bait. He eyes her up, and she tries to hold her ground and even gives him her signature scowl. They end up staring at each other and the only sound around them comes from the gust of wind that occasionally ripples through the trees on the other side of the fence. The last warm sunrays of the afternoon lick the left side of her face and bring warmth to not only her cheek, but her core as well. It gives her a false sense of peacefulness… what a traitor. Gale continues to look at her like she is hiding something, which she is, but he does not have to know that. As a result of his searching gaze, she deepens her scowl to make him back off. Only this time, it is not working.

"You know something. Something you're not telling me." he states. "Well, come on then. Spit it out." he demands.

Damn it! He will just not give up. She knows him too well, just like he knows that something is up. In the end she throws her hands into the air, making the sack fly through the crisp breeze. "Fine! I heard that there will a lockdown of the district today. If you go out there, you will be trapped for I don't know how long!" She almost knocks the air out of him, when she thrusts his game-sack back to him. "There! Satisfied?" she huffs.

Katniss knows, that she really does not have a proper reason to be angry with Gale. All he did was ask about her motives. But there is just something about him prying and questioning her reasons for trying to look out for him that sets her off. Gale holds the sack and looks utterly perplexed. With the upmost caution, he acknowledges her, "Okay. You could just have told me that. There's no need to bite my head off."

She groans lightly and almost presses her wrists into her eye sockets. She knows she came on to him too hard, but she has never been very good with words. "I know. I overreacted. I just didn't want you to go out there." she apologizes.

Immediately his eyes softens and she knows her apology is accepted. He motions for her to follow him back across the meadow towards the Seam and they walk side by side. It is only when they reach the outskirts of the Seam that Gale breaks the silence. "I'm glad you came running after me even though the lockdown might be just a rumour. One would actually believe that you cared for me." He teasingly bumps her shoulder and smiles at her.

She pushes him back and smiles, "Please! Don't flatter yourself. I just don't want to be without a hunting partner." she fires back at him, glad that they left their bad mood behind.

He snorts at her cheeky remark as he continues their friendly banter, "Was that a smile I just saw? Be careful Katniss. You could break your face!"

"Ha ha. That is extremely clever and funny Gale. There really are no limits to your wit." she comments dryly.

"But seriously, who told you about the lockdown?"

Before Katniss can stop herself, the name fly out of her mouth, "Peeta."

Gale stops abruptly and looks at her. His entire body language screams mistrust and suspicion. "Peeta? Peeta Mellark? The baker's son? Why would he help you? And why would you believe him?"

Immediately, she wants to cut off her own tongue and make herself an avox right then and there. Why did she tell him that? She knew he would react this way, just because Peeta is a Merchant and they are Seam. Gale suffers lightly from the known 'Merchant-vs.-Seam-syndrome'. And although it is known that not all merchants are kind to their fellow district citizens and do not have to suffer a lifetime of working in the mine, not all of them are bad people. Look at Madge, Mr Mellark, Peeta, and even Delly Cartwright who usually has a bubbly personality, that sometimes can be a bit annoying, but they are all kind people. In any case, Gale did not have to know who it was that told her about the lockdown. She could just have said it was Darius who had told her in the first place. He would have believed that.

"I asked Darius about it afterwards. He said that something might happen tonight, although he did not know it for sure. I just didn't want to take the risk."

"That still doesn't explain why Mellark would warn you." Gale objects and he makes a face that clearly implies that he cannot believe he actually has to explain this when he sees her expression, "Katniss, he's a merchant. Everybody knows that merchants are far from chivalrous when it comes to Seam-girls!"

"It's nothing like that. You don't know anything about it!"

And he really does not. She, however, is certain that Peeta Mellark does not want anything like that from her. She may have caught him staring at her from time to time in class, but she is not delusional. She knows better. It is because of the bread-incident that he has been too polite to mention. Nothing else. Anyway, his friends always surround him and he is certainly in no short amount of potential partners if he wanted to. Yes, she is not afraid to admit that he is not bad looking with his sun-kissed golden hair, kind blue eyes and strong build. She has not lived under a rock… not that she would ever dream about him in that way. But that is all it will ever come to be for her. She is not looking for love, not after she saw how it reduced her mother to almost nothing. Not that he wants anything like that with her, and she is sure that neither Peeta nor her is looking for a fling. The only thing that will bring is trouble. Peeta just told her about the lockdown out of kindness, just like he saved her life four years ago.

She is about to tell Gale that Peeta's actions are fuelled by kindness and not scheming, but the loudspeaker system that has been set up throughout the entire district, anticipates her. The system is rarely used. It is only on special occasions like the announcement of mandatory viewings, the reaping, or the few messages from Head-peacekeeper Cray. Whatever the reason is, it is usually not something that brings happiness to the inhabitants of 12.

And sure enough, it's the 'melodious' voice of their Head-peacekeeper that sweeps across the district. "Attention. Attention all citizens. All citizens are to return to their homes immediately. No man, woman or child is allowed to be outside their houses during the curfew that will commence at sunset. The curfew will last throughout the night and peacekeepers will be patrolling the district to uphold the curfew. The punishment for breaking said curfew will be… severe. That will be all."

It takes a moment for the announcement to take hold of the district, but then people starts running in all directions, seeing as it is nearly sunset already. Katniss sees mothers rush out on the street to get to their children, who have been playing outside during the day, and she sees visitors head home to their respective houses. People even come running from town, no doubt from the Hob, to make it back home in time.

"Well, what do you know? Mellark was right." Gale states. He cannot quiet contain the surprise mixed with gratitude in his voice.

Wordlessly, they start to walk in the direction of their respective houses. Just before they part ways Gale turns to Katniss. "Just because he was right, it doesn't mean you owe him anything. I trust you know that."

He does not wait for her response but turns around to the follow the path to their left, leaving her staring at him as he walks away.

He is wrong.

She does owe Peeta and she will repay him. Just not in the currency Gale fears.

* * *

That night Katniss cannot sleep. She tosses and turns on her side of the bed. She tries to do it as quietly as possible in fear of waking Prim. She takes a moment to observe her sister's peaceful features. Certainly, her sister would not be sleeping at all if she and Gale still had not returned from the woods. Prim would have been sitting by the table in the soft light from the burning candle with Buttercup in her arms and a worn blanket thrown around her as she kept staring at the door.

Where could she and Gale have been at this very moment? Probably lying close to a fire to keep them warm during the cold spring night, while they took turns on guard duty. Not in fear of peacekeepers, but of the wolves that they know lure in the woods. They would not have known that the curfew would only last the night. They would have wondered if they would be able to pass the fence in the morning or they day after that? But one thing they would have known is that if they were not sitting in their respective classrooms tomorrow, they would be in serious trouble.

Katniss sighs and turns to lie on her back with her arms resting underneath her head. Peeta had done it again. He had once again saved her and it did not seem like he had wanted anything in return. The concern in his eyes had been sincere, she is sure of that. The way he had hold her arm with the upmost care and gentleness in the world had told its own story. She has to thank him… somehow. When he saved her entire family and brought them back to life four years ago, she did nothing to thank him. She had been a coward. Her guilty conscience reminds her that she still is a coward. To this day she has still not thanked him for the bread. Again, her conscience tells her that a simple "thank you for saving my life" will not suffice. She owes him everything and she still has to discover a way to repay him. To his credit, he never brought up the incidence even though they saw each other almost everyday. But it still frustrates her to the core that it can be so difficult to find a proper way to repay him so she can finally stop owing him and get on with her life.

But then an idea pops into her head. A small smile creeps onto her face that remains hidden from the world in the darkness of night. Just because she cannot repay him for the bread yet, it does not mean that she cannot thank him for what he did today. She does not have a lot to offer a merchant boy, but she will use her only talent. Forget about the squirrels she usually trades with Mr Mellark. No, this time she will trade with Peeta himself, and it will not be a trade, it will be a gift. And not just any gift. She is going to find the biggest, fattest turkey and present it to him. She imagines Peeta's astonishing expression when she passes the turkey into his arms. Her smile grows wider at the prospect of it without her knowing. That turkey is going to weigh so much that even Peeta with his strong arms will have a hard time carrying it.

Her smile falters for a bit. For her plan to work, she has to see Peeta himself. How can she ever explain to Mr Mellark about what Peeta did for her? Or even worse, what if she has to explain it to Peeta's brothers? Just the mere thought mortifies her because she is certain that they would never understand it. No, she has to make Peeta come outside the bakery. Perhaps tomorrow is her lucky day and he will be miraculously standing outside the bakery. Otherwise she figures that she will have to signal him through the windows to come outside. Oh well, she will have to cross that bridge when the times come.

Beside her, Prim gives a small sigh and clutches her pillow tightly. Katniss stifles a yawn as contentment settles within her. Now, with her new-formed plan in mind, she can finally allow herself to sleep.

* * *

A few hours later Katniss creeps out of the warm bed. Usually, she would do everything in her power to remain inside the warm cocoon, but this morning she springs out of bed. After all, she is on a mission. The rising sun has only just begun to peak through the windows when she leaves her house and heads towards the fence. It is better for Gale not to know of her plans since he clearly would never understand – especially after what he said yesterday. He would continue to question Peeta's motives and disapprove of her actions but frankly; she does not give a damn about his opinions of this particular subject. Besides, she is certain that Peeta will be awake as well. He is a baker's son, after all. Luckily for her, baker's and hunter's hours are very similar.

Fortunately the fence is already off and she slips underneath it effortlessly. Since the curfew must have been lifted during the night, her actions are only slightly illegal. Not that it had stopped her in the past. The morning sun's warm rays greet her and wrap around her like a gentle hand that affectionately caresses her skin and the morning dew bathes her and removes the worry she might had had during the night. The birds' morning hymn welcomes her to the woods and in no time at all she reaches the hollow tree in which she keeps her father's precious bow and she sets off into the woods to find a joyous dinner for Peeta. Why she wishes to bring him joy is somewhat of a mystery to her. They are not friends, but she respects him and that must be the reason why she hopes to impress him as well.

* * *

An hour goes by and Katniss has yet to find the perfect gift. It is not because she has not seen a single animal, no she has found many, but none of them were to her liking. Either they were too small and scrawny, or they were too big, like the deer she caught a glimpse of through the tree trunks. The sun creeps higher in the sky and she starts to panic a bit. What if she cannot find a proper gift? Then her morning will have been completely wasted and she doubts that Peeta will be as impressed as Prim if she hands him a bouquet of wild flowers as a consolation prize.

But then she sees it.

A flock of wild turkeys that gobble up their morning breakfast that lies underneath the leaves that cover the soil in the clearing. The flock constitutes of turkeys in all sizes, from small chicks to plumb full-grown turkeys. And there it is. The turkey, she had envisioned. She is mesmerized by it. It is… beautiful. Just like she had imagined it would be. It stands majestically in the sunbeam as it looks around the flock. She holds her breath when she notches an arrow and positions herself behind the bushes that display the first signs of the summer berries they will carry. As she waits for the perfect moment, the turkey looks in her direction, and then she releases the arrow. It flies swiftly and hits its target, making the flock scatter in every direction.

When she reaches the bird she kneels at its side and strokes its fantastic feather display tenderly, almost like she is thanking it for its sacrifice. It was a clean shot, right through the eye, and she could not have been happier for this particular kill and what it hopefully will represent.

* * *

Her timing is perfect. It is still so early in the morning that no one has left their houses. She will be able to get to the bakery, deliver the turkey and be home in time to walk with Prim and the Hawthornes to school. Her thoughts are light as the morning sun that greets her every step as she walks to the bakery with the turkey in a sack that hangs on her back. It weighs a ton, a lot more than she had imagined it would and it makes her regret her decision to choose such a majestic bird. Why could she not have chosen three rabbits instead? But no, she had to choose something impressive as a sufficient thank-you-gift.

She is nothing less but thrilled when the bakery comes into view. Finally, she is almost there and then she can get rid of this ridiculously heavy bird that threatens to crush her with its weight. But with each step she takes, her gladness is replaced by nervousness. She has not thought this through! The sight of her with a huge sack on her back which makes her bend forward must look absurd and she will not be surprised if Peeta laughs at her instead of being awestruck. 'Stupid Katniss, why do you never think these things through? This is what happens when impulsiveness takes over' she thinks.

She makes a stop underneath the apple tree and lets the sack slump to the ground with a dull thud. As she stretches her back, something odd catches her eyes. The bakery is completely still. There is no light in the windows and the curtains on the first floor where the family lives are shut. She had expected the bakery to be full of life at this time of day. In only half an hour the merchants will flock to the bakery for their morning loaves of bread and buns. The bakery should have been up and running for at least an hour by now. This morning, however, the bakery looks like any other house in town. As if its inhabitants are still sleeping.

Katniss walks to the back door and presses her ear to the wooden surface, but she cannot hear a thing. Then she peaks through the crack in the curtains that hang in window next to the back door. The backroom where the Mellarks usually work and create all sorts of beautiful cakes is dark and even the ovens are deserted. But then she sees another thing that disturbs her slightly. Materials, plates and glass lie shattered on the tables and on the floor. What on earth has happened here? Are things always this untidy in the morning? Of course, she has never been inside the actual bakery, so she would not know. But she has had a glimpse of the inside when she and Gale trade with Mr Mellark and it did not look like this mess.

She gets a grim thought. What if someone decided to use the curfew for their own profit? Stealing is not unheard of in the district. Stealing is severely punished by the peacekeepers if you are caught, but perhaps the bakery had been too much of a temptation with all its baked goods. It would certainly explain why the Mellarks did not have the energy to open up the bakery this morning. She curses slightly. Of course the bakery had been robbed the very day she was supposed to thank Peeta for his generosity. What is she to do now? She cannot wake him by throwing some pebbles at his window, since she does not know which one it is. If she hits Mrs Mellark's window it will be a catastrophe.

She looks at her prized turkey in the sack lying deserted on the ground. There is no way she can leave it here. Firstly, because Peeta would not know it is meant for him and secondly, because the Mellarks will be in serious trouble if the peacekeepers find it and what a way that would be for her to repay Peeta. And she certainly cannot dispose of it in the bin. That will just be wasteful, and if there is one thing she is not, it is wasteful. She sees no other choice but to carry the damn bird all the way back to the Seam.

Great… just great!

* * *

How she manages to make it back to the Seam without breaking her back is a mystery to her. She reaches her house just as Gale and his siblings come walking down the path. "What on earth are you dragging there, Catnip?" Gale calls to her.

When he reaches her, he takes the sack from her and relieves her of its burden and looks inside it, "Whoa. That is huge! That is enough to feed both our families." He tilts his head to the side and his shoulders slump for a moment. "Katniss, you should have told me you went out there this morning. I could have helped you with this monstrosity. It would only be fair, you know." he tells her sincerely.

'No it would not be fair for you to come with me since that turkey was not meant for us.' she thinks bitterly as she crosses her arms and huffs. Her disappointing thoughts must be visible on her face since Prim throws her arms around her. "Aww, Katniss. Don't look so sour. I think the bird is marvellous and I can't wait for tonight." Prim beams at her.

Katniss can feel her walls cracking. Oh well, the plan of giving the turkey to Peeta might have gone down the drain, but at least the turkey brings Prim joy and she will do anything for her sister to be happy. She looks at the Hawthornes. Rory and Vick are looking inside the sack and she can almost see their eyes pop out of their sockets and the drool that begins to form and trickles from the corner of their mouths. That is the final straw that melts her heart. No one has to know that the turkey was not meant for them.

She decides that both their families deserve something nice for once. She looks at Gale and motions to the sack, "Can you take it to the back of the house and hide it? Then we'll prepare it after school."

Gale gives her a swift nod and swings the sack effortlessly over his shoulder and walks to the back of the house while she collects her school items inside the house. When she returns, Gale is back as well and they set off towards town. As they pass the bakery on their way, she cranes her neck to see any sort of life sign. But the bakery is still as dark and silent as it had been when she was there a half hour ago. The sign on the front door has not been turned and still reads 'Closed'. It gives her an unsettling feeling in her stomach and she quickly turns away from the bakery before the others catch on.

* * *

In school, Peeta is nowhere to be seen. Without meaning it, she finds herself staring at his vacant seat in class and cannot help but wonder if he has been hurt during the night. What if they had discovered the unwanted guests in the bakery and tried to kick them out? She is sure they would have done that since the Mellark household contains three wrestlers of stocky built and a strength that is seldom seen elsewhere.

And she is not the only one who has noticed Peeta's absence. At lunchtime Katniss discovers that Rye, Peeta's older brother, is also not attending school today and the whole room is buzzing about how odd it is for both Rye and Peeta to be absent. She shakes her head to stop her thoughts from taking flight. Why should she care? They are not friends and if indeed there had been a brawl at the bakery, nothing would have happened to Peeta with his brothers having his back. The family is most likely at home and trying to clean up the mess from the robbery. And it really was a mess, so it makes sense that the two youngest Mellarks had to stay behind and help. The peacekeepers, who makes sure that no one misses a school day without a good reason, will understand that.

"Perhaps they are sick?"

Katniss is pulled from her thoughts and looks to her left where Madge is sitting. Madge Undersee is her only friend from Town… well, perhaps not a friend but more of an acquaintance. She is a nice girl even though she is the mayor's daughter. She fits her title well with her long blond hair and porcelain skin that just screams merchant from a far. They are an odd pair the two of them as they sit at their own table. The quiet mayor's daughter and the hostile Seam girl. But it does make sense to them. Over the years they have formed a friendship based on mutual respect and Katniss especially appreciates Madge's quiet nature that does not demand to know everything Katniss is not willing to share.

"Yeah… perhaps they are." she answers. There is no need to tell Madge about what she had seen this morning. It would only worry her and it certainly was an explanation. It is not unheard of that an entire family can fall ill at the same time. "Don't worry Madge. They will probably be back tomorrow."

She had said it to reassure Madge, but perhaps she had really said it to reassure herself in the process. But she forbids herself to think more about it and returns her attention to her scarce lunch; the mere, thin and now cold vegetable soup she had made for dinner yesterday.

She has taken a few spoonful's when Madge speaks again, "I hope so. It would be awful if they were all sick and with the Spring Festival coming up next week, they have a lot to do. There is no Spring Festival without the bakery's table. It is a part of the spirit of the festival."

The Spring Festival.

Katniss had completely forgotten about that. The Spring Festival is one of the only highlights in the district along with the Harvest Festival later in the year. It is a time of year where people can forget about the hardships they are facing, forget about the reaping that will take place in two months time that will rip two families apart and forget about the hunger that sweeps through the district. The merchants sell their products to a special prize so everybody can rejoice on this particularly evening. And above all, it is a time for the youth to be just that – young and carefree.

All the women and girls weave colourful flowers into their hair to mark the coming of Spring. When Katniss was younger, she had loved the Spring Festival for this particular tradition. For her mother to braid her hair and her father to adorn it with beautiful katniss flowers he had picked up by the lake in the woods. But that was a long time ago. To this day Katniss still keeps up the tradition even though it is a painful reminder of the loss of her father. But she does it to honour his memory. White katniss flowers for her, colourful primroses for Prim, and purple violets for their mother if they somehow manage to get their mother to come along.

Of course, no one forgets the gap there is between the people of the district, but somehow the Spring Festival manages to tear down the walls between them and more often than not, you can see Seam and Merchants dancing together in the grand folkdances to the ancient tunes from instruments such as the flutes, fiddles, and drums. The multiple partner changes are the reason why Katniss has always been reluctant to participate in the dances. But Prim loves them and she has more than once managed to drag Katniss along with her into the dance ring. Katniss has no problem dancing with Prim, or any of the Hawthornes, but that is as far as her comfort zone goes. She can dance with the people from the Seam and have a good time, but the Merchants are another matter. She does not have anything in common with them and usually she ends up dancing with men twice her own age or some of the idiots from school.

"Perhaps I should ask if they could use an extra hand when they are up and about again." Madge wonders aloud a moment later.

The bakery's table is the most popular by far with their beautiful cakes, pies, cookies and their other delicious baked goods that make your mouth water just by the mere sight of it. Needless to say, children and their parents surround the table the entire evening. Everyone wants to taste the sweet creations and on this particular night, even the people from the Seam can afford to have a slice or a cookie. Mr Mellark has always been more than generous and almost hands out their goods free of charge. The prize is only for show, which vexes Mrs Mellark immensely. Luckily for everyone, she usually chooses to display a silent form of protest by sitting with her sister far away from the bakery's table for the entire night.

The Mellarks are usually so busy that the family can only enjoy the Spring Festival one at the time, where they can finally dance and be with their friends. But whenever Katniss has looked towards the bakery's table the previous years, Mr Mellark and his three sons have always seemed to be in the best of spirits all evening. Well, perhaps not Rye, but as far as Gale has told her, Rye has always been a bit reckless. Peeta, on the other hand, had been one giant smile and eradiating happiness whenever he handed out the muffins, the cookies or the pie slices to the children.

Katniss looks up from her cold soup and sees that Madge is looking at her, waiting silently for a confirmation of her intention to help the Mellarks. "You can always ask them if you want to. Mr Mellark will probably not say no to an extra set of hands." she shrugs.

Madge gives her a small smile and nods her head. "Right. Of course you're right. I'll ask Peeta when he is well again."

* * *

As she had promised Gale the day before, Katniss finds herself in the woods along side him after school. They may have the turkey she shot this morning, but they still need some sort of side dish to make a proper feast. In addition to that, her mother had asked for some herbs that she uses for medical care. As the Seam's only healer there is often a need for her and her medical skills acquired from her time as the apothecary's daughter. Given the poverty in the Seam, its inhabitants cannot afford the expensive Capitol medication that can be purchased from the apothecary and is only available for the more wealthy merchant class. Mrs Everdeen's knowledge and help on the other hand is obtainable for most people. Usually, Katniss' mother is paid in fabrics, candles, some matches or other practical objects that can be used in the household.

Even though Katniss' mother spends most of her time in a land of depression after her husband's death, her job as a healer manages to bring her out of her lost world. But as the time went by, Mrs Everdeen is starting to function more and more like an actual human being again. Katniss is sure that her mother will never be the same again, but she has the tiniest hope that her mother one day will manage to pull herself together and be there for Prim. But even if that should happen in a few years from now, Katniss will never stop acting like Prim's guardian. Prim is her everything and she will make sure, that Prim will never want for anything, no matter if her mother comes around or not.

Not far from Katniss, Gale is laying out his snare lines for tomorrow in the hope that there will be some meat for them to sell to the butcher. Katniss, on the other hand, has let her bow remain inside the hollow trunk. Instead, she is carrying a basket filled with the herbs her mother had requested. As she is walking through the woods, she checks off her internal memo: barberries, chasteberries, foxgloves, feverfews, marigolds, rosemary...

Now she only needs to pick some dandelions. Her mother uses the dandelions for spleen, liver or kidney conditions but for Katniss, the dandelions makes her thoughts drift to the bakery, Peeta and the bread once again. She bends down to pluck a dandelion from the ground but before adding it to the basket, she takes a moment to study it. She twists it in her hand, making the bright yellow colour shine in the light. For most people dandelions are considered a weed, but for her, it is one of the most beautiful flowers there is. For her, dandelions will always represent the hope and life Peeta gave her along with that bread. She tears her eyes away from the flower and places it in the basket along with the other berries and herbs. Then she crutches down and sits in the sea of dandelions, places the basket on the ground and fills it to the brim with the flowers and their leaves.

* * *

When the sun is about to drop below the horizon, they head home. Their pockets and baskets are full of herbs and spring berries and their moods are high at the prospect of tonight's dinner, which they had planned on eating together.

"I have to say, I am looking forward to that turkey tonight. I can almost taste it already." Gale tells her as they are nearing the fence. He has a dreamy expression on his face as he starts to smack his lips to emphasize his excitement, which makes Katniss give him one of her rare smiles as she laughs at him.

"First we have to pluck it and stuff it and cook it." she reminds him. "You have to reap before you sow and all that."

He smirks at her for a moment, "Just give me a sign when it's done, then I'll be there in a blink of an eye."

The remark earns him a punch to the arm. He immediately fakes being hurt badly but he cannot contain his broad smile for long. "Have you ever heard of the word 'sorry'?" he asks her.

"No. Is that another one that you made up?" she laughs.

She is feeling uplifted by their silly banter and it strengthens her belief that perhaps it had not been a shame that the bird did not go to Peeta after all. She would find something else for him though. Maybe those three rabbits she had thought of this morning would be enough after all.

The road home takes them through town and as they pass the bakery, the very place Katniss' thoughts had gone to all day, she allows herself to take one glimpse at the house. What she sees brings a breath of relief from her lungs. On the first floor burns a soft light that is contained behind the curtains. Of course the boy with the bread is fine. Just as her more reasonable self had assured her of. She feels a strange mixture of gratefulness for the Mellarks wellbeing, well one of them in particular, but also a slight irritation that she was concerned in the first place. She keeps reminding herself that Peeta and her are not friends and that she should not care. But whom is she kidding? Deep inside she knows that she will always care as long as she has not found a proper way to repay him. And she will find a way.

But not today.

Today she will be happy.

And with that resolution, she walks on by towards the Seam to enjoy a delicious dinner with her family and friends.

* * *

 **AN: A** **s you probably have noticed, I am jumping from POV to POV throughout the story since it gives me the opportunity to explore the different characters. I hope it is not too confusing.**

 **I had a great time writing this chapter, but I'll admit it was more difficult than I expected to write in Katniss' POV, and I would not be surprised if she is slightly OOC, but I hope I just managed to pull it off.**

 **Thank you so much to all the wonderful people who reviewed and marked the story as a favourite. I know I am not the fastest writer in history, but I hope the chapter was worth waiting for. Please let me know your thoughts, so I can make this story as good as possible.**

 **Once again, all mistakes are mine.**


	4. Chapter 4 - Peeta

**AN: Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games series.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

 _The Capitol_

The president's meeting with the ministers from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has been underway for almost two hours. By orders of President Snow, the meeting is held in one of the many conference rooms in the Presidential Palace instead of the Parliament. And all though the room is one of the smaller ones, its grandeur is visible from the decorative walls to the marble fireplace and the furniture made from the finest wood sorts, that has been polished to the extend that one can see his own reflection in the surfaces that are as smooth as a baby's skin. Papers are scattered on the magnificent table around the large silver plates filled with fresh fruit, the crystal glasses and the crystal decanter filled with cognac. The delicious dark liquid that tempts the meeting's participants.

"I suggest that the distribution of the remaining sources after the Capitol has claimed its share should be divided accordingly to the population size of the districts. The livestock production in District 10 has been very successful." one of the ministers says as he points to the specific calculations on a paper in front of him.

"Wouldn't it be better for the Capitol to store a larger part of the production for the next winter?" another minister argues.

The door to the conference room bursts open and Minister Antonius barges into the room unannounced. "Your Excellency!" he calls out to the president and walks directly up to his usual chair at the end of the table.

President Snow looks at him and rather calmly acknowledges his presence, "Antonius, I do hope that you have a very good reason for barging in unannounced and disturbing our meeting."

It is only now the minister seems to notice the glares from the men in their crisp suits seated around the grand table. "Forgive me, sir, but I must speak with you in private." He leans down to whisper in his ear, "It's about your Excellency's important matter."

The news makes President Snow look at Minister Antonius with great anticipation. He immediately rises from his seat and addresses his other ministers, "Gentlemen, do excuse me. Please continue your work."

As soon as the president and Minister Antonius has reached the president's private study, Minister Antonius proudly and enthusiastically informs the president of his department's accomplishment, "We found him, sir!"

The president is silent for a moment, letting the information sink in. "What are you saying?" he eventually asks.

The minister beams and puffs out his chest as he proudly states, "President Snow, I'm pleased to announce that we located your son."

"Are you certain about this? If this turns out to be a mistake…"

Immediately, the minister responds, "No, no. sir. It's a 100% DNA-match. We checked the data five times to make sure."

President Snow slumps down in a plush armchair, completely awestruck by this information. "Where is he? Is he well?" The questions start flowing as soon as the full content of the information has sunk in.

"He is alive and well in District 12, sir."

"District 12." Snow mutters, then after a short pause he declares, "Of course, how stupid we have been. The rebels hovercraft was shot down in sector 376, they must have walked on foot to 12 where they left him right under our noses. They must have had help from inside the district. Who helped them? Who has my son in their possession?"

"It is as we assumed. Your son has lived with a district family all these years. I took the liberty of retrieving his data from the system for you."

The minister hands President Snow the folder he has held in his hands the entire time. Snow quickly flicks through the folder until he finds what he is looking for; the latest photo of his son, while the minister tells the president of the folder's contents. "Your son has been registered as 'Peeta Mellark', the third son of Wheaton and Aster Mellark. The couple has two older biological sons, Bannock Mellark, 19 years of age, and Rye Mellark, 18 years of age. Your son's birth date is registered as the 2nd of January, the exact same date as the abduction took place. Your son has achieved good grades in school so far and has been a part of the local school's wrestling team for three years. A team that both his older 'brothers' have been assigned to as well."

As the minister proudly keeps on describing their findings, Snow shifts his attention from the photo to the minister. "And what of this family? The Mellarks? Have they showed any signs of an understanding with the rebels?"

Minister Antonius shakes his head, "Their files are clean. The Mellarks live in the town area of District 12 where they run the bakery that has been in the family's possession for several generations. They have not showed any sign of rebel activity, not even illegal activity of any point."

"Besides the fact, that they deliberately kept my son from me and thereby contributed to kidnapping and treason." Snow snaps back at the minister.

Normally, the minister would have stepped back at the president's tone, but after his success of finding the heir, he has the courage to continue, "Mr President, with all due respect, I don't believe that this family had anything to do with your son's abduction. As I read through their files it showed that Mrs. Mellark had been pregnant at that time. For all that we know, she could have lost her own baby and taken in your son instead. For them, your son could have been nothing more than an orphan they had taken in to conceal their own loss."

"Perhaps… we shall see about that when we question them." President Snow once again looks back at the photo, "He looks so much like his beautiful mother. His skintone, his hair, his nose, even his eyes are hers, except for his jaw, he has my strong jaw." Completely lost to the world around him, he sighs "As I said to my wife the day she brought him into this world, 'He's truly the best gift she has ever given me.'

"Sir? What are your orders?"

President Snow stands up and snaps the folder shut. "I think you already know that. I want him back and I will bring him back myself. Send word to Head-peacekeeper Cray to shut down the district tomorrow evening but don't tell him the reason why. Just that he and his local peacekeepers are to stay away as well and not to question anything that happens during the lockdown. We'll bring 30 peacekeepers of our own and go by train. Make the preparations and we'll depart as soon as possible. I want to be in District 12 tomorrow evening."

He walks over to his desk and starts to scribble down orders on a piece of paper. "Wouldn't it be faster to use a hovercraft, sir?" the minister suggests.

The president does not stop writing down the instructions for the chosen peacekeeper squad, "It would. But as much as I would like to have my son back immediately, I want no one to know about what has happened. As far as the people outside the Presidential Palace are concerned, they believe that my son is right here in the Presidential Palace and has been for all his life. Eventually, the people of District 12 will know that my son has lived in the district for 16 years, and when that day come, we'll be prepared for it. We'll use this to our advantage, but for it to work, it is of the upmost importance, that no one knows before that day. The citizens of District 12 will undoubtedly hear a hovercraft approaching. No, we'll go by train."

"And the Mellarks? What should we do about them?"

At this question, President Snow looks up from the paper, his eyes filled with a wrath seldom seen, and growls, "If I suspect that they have had even the slightest thing to do with the abduction of my son, I'll personally make their last days a living hell. On the other hand, if they have known nothing about it, then they have saved my son from a terrible fate, and I shall reward them with their lives – provided of course, that they follow my orders."

* * *

 _District 12 - the next day_

Sunday morning is a beautiful morning. When Peeta pulls the curtains aside and opens the window, the morning sunrays light up the bedroom in a soft glow. There is not a single sky in sight and the sky is so full of soft colours of yellow, orange, red, and pink that his fingers itch to grab his sketchpad and once more try to capture the scene in front of him. Usually his drawings are only grey and black, because his main instrument is a plain pencil, but for his last five birthdays, his parents, meaning his dad, had been able to give him one colour pencil a year, and he will only use them for something special. His mother did not think a colour pencil to be a proper present for a boy and she would usually huff at his choice of birthday present. But one time a year, he was allowed to make a wish for a birthday present and every year it had been the same; a colour pencil. Now, his precious collection of colour pencils includes a red, green, blue, yellow, and a brown one, but by mixing them he can create new colours and he can make the colour more profound by pressing the pencils harder into the paper or softer by barely touching the paper with the tip of the pencil.

After having admired the sunrise for a moment he turns his attention to the scenery before him. Town is completely deserted at this time of day as its inhabitants still lie in their warm beds. Only the wind ruffles some of the trees new-formed green leaves but besides that there is not a movement in sight. Some may think waking up at baker's hours is cruel, and it can be during the winter, but on such a fine Spring morning, he can think of nothing better. Except the fact that there is a good chance that he is sharing this particular sky with Katniss Everdeen. It is Sunday after all and she will probably already be on her way into the woods to hunt and then later she will come by the bakery with her haul, granted alongside Gale Hawthorne, but still… she will come.

His thoughts of Katniss are interrupted when the rooster, that is owned by the family three houses down the road, begins to crow as it welcomes the sun and the new day. As the rooster continues to crow, duvets ruffles and the cracking sound from the bunk bed behind Peeta's back indicates that Rye has heard the rooster's 'melodious' song too.

"Ugh, shut the window or I'll personally wring the neck of that bloody chicken. And shut the window too! It's way too early for this!" Rye growls from his bed.

"Glad to see that you are awake and a good morning to you too, Rye... and it's a rooster, not a chicken." Peeta greets his brother while he deliberately opens the window as much as possible, making the cold breeze of the chilly wind flow into the room.

"No, Peeta! I said close it, not open it!"

But instead of giving his brother what he asks for, Peeta walks over to the bunk bed and looks down upon Rye, who is laying in the lower bunk and has drawn the duvet all the way up to his ears, as he tries to keep the cold air away from him while his eyes are completely shut in response to the light.

Peeta smirks when he reaches for the duvet as silently as possible. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you mean you needed help getting out of bed?"

Rye's eyes fly open immediately when he senses what Peeta is about to do. He tries to hold on to his duvet but his hands only reach for thin air because Peeta manages to swoop the duvet away from him, leaving him completely exposed to the sunlight as well as the wind.

"No, no, no! Give it back, moron!" Rye complains loudly.

From the corner of the room Bannock chuckles at them. He is sitting upright in his own bed, his blond hair sticking out in all directions, and his own duvet lies across his lower half. He wipes the sleep from his eyes and stifles a yawn, "Rye, just get out of bed. I don't understand that you still fall for it. In winter he covers you with snow and on rainy days you get soaked. Just get up in time."

Peeta grins and heads for the bathroom but instead of letting go of the duvet he drags it behind him across the floor like a trophy of his small victory.

Rye sits up and crosses his arms, "Hey! I do that to please him." he bites back at Bannock. "But mark my words, I'm going to get him one of these days and then I'll let him have a taste of his own medicine."

"Then you have to get up earlier." laughs Peeta as he nonchalantly drops the duvet on the floor in the doorway, making sure that it is completely out of Rye's reach.

* * *

The fire in the ovens is already roaring when the Mellark brothers enter the kitchen and their dad's hands are busy stirring a wooden spoon in a large bowl while adding ingredients into the bowl's contents. The table is already set for five and the different types of bread that they did not sell yesterday are lying on the table. Stale bread is their usual breakfast but today another plate is sitting on the table, and its contents are far more interesting.

"Sausages for breakfast?" asks Peeta astonished. "Dad, what's the occasion?"

Mr Mellark turns to face his sons and gives them a timid smile. "I'm afraid it is not a festive occasion. Today is delivery day but somehow I have miscalculated the time I need to prepare the order from Mayor Undersee, and I simply wont have the time to do both. So the three of you have to pick up the deliveries for me."

Rye crosses his arms in front of his chest, "So the sausages are bribery?" he states mistrustfully. But only seconds later he shrugs, takes his usual place by the table and reaches for the remarkable plate with the tempting sausages, "I can live with that."

In that very moment their mother walks into the kitchen and it does not take her long to discover the plate in front of Rye. She sends her husband a glare, "Are you letting them have sausages on a regular Sunday? Have you any idea how expensive they are?"

Their dad, who has clearly been anticipating her reaction, is quick to reassure her. "I know, my dear. But it is delivery day and the boys need their strength. If we don't get the supplies, then we cannot keep up with our orders for the next month."

Peeta silently admires his dad's ability to not only calm his mother with a few sentences but also seem like he does not even notice her mean stare. His dad had noticed it of course, but since his dad has a very peaceful nature and no desire for confrontation, he has managed to develop the rare talent of knowing the best way to sooth his wife's temper... most of the time.

A quick look at his mother informs him about her internal struggle. Sausages are expensive and they cannot afford to be wasteful, but on the other hand, if her sons do not have the energy to bring their deliveries home fast enough, then they can loose orders. It is the beginning of the month and their pantry is almost empty. Orders equal income and income is of the upmost importance for maintaining a certain level of lifestyle and respect.

She seems to have come to a decision and tells them sharply, "You heard your father. Eat up, boys!" And instead of water she places a jug of milk in front of them, which makes her sons look at her like she has grown a second head. She tells them briefly, "Just don't be late for that train!"

Nobody has to tell them that twice and they immediately dive into the small feast.

* * *

The train from the Capitol carrying all the orders from the merchant families in District 12 has already pulled into the train station when they arrive. It is still early morning, but they are still some of the first merchants to arrive. Around the station and by the train stand some of the local peacekeepers guarding the train, making sure that none of the items "get lost".

Bannock lets the shafts of their wooden handcart rest on the ground and tells his brothers to come closer. In real wrestling competition style he throws an arm around the shoulders of Rye and Peeta and pulls them close as if they are planning a strategy to overcome the opponent. "Okay, let's divide and conquer! Peeta, you go inside the train car and hand me the items. Rye, you load the cart."

"Aye, aye, Captain." Rye agrees and emphasizes his acknowledgement of the plan by standing straight up and saluting Bannock with his right hand flapping up and down beside his head. He then takes hold of the shafts to steer the cart. They get as close to the train as possible so they wont have to carry their goods longer than necessary, but unfortunately they cannot park the cart right beside the train because of the chain the peacekeepers have set up around the train to keep people with no business there away from the train. Rye waits by their cart just on the outside of the chain while Peeta and Bannock continue inside the restricted area where the train awaits them. The local peacekeepers that man the boundary let them pass the check point without further ado, since they know them well as they come here with their dad every month to collect the deliveries.

When they reach the train, Bannock remains on the ground beside the train while Peeta nimbly jumps onto the train car by using his arms to heave him up. Inside the cart he is met by the Capitol official who is in charge of the deliveries from the Capitol to the districts. The peacekeepers that line the walls inside the train cart are not local but one look at their jackets and sleeves tells Peeta where they do service. These peacekeepers all wear the regimental insignia of the Capitol and that must also be the reason why they all seem so stiff and official. They are nothing like the local peacekeepers who at least are able to show some signs of humanity.

The Capitol official looks at Peeta with dull anticipation and Peeta quickly hands him the delivery note from his dad. The official looks at the paper and nods at him as a verification of its authenticity, "Name?"

"Peeta Mellark."

The man scribbles the name into the book in front of him. Not even bothering to look up from the book he asks, "It is just you for the delivery?"

Peeta cannot help but wonder how thick this man can be. The man had held this position for years, and they have met countless of times along with his dad and brothers, but still there is the need to verify everything. It is probably a Capitol thing. But since it is doubtlessly not a great idea to point this out, Peeta just gives the man a polite smile and answers dutifully. "No sir. My two brothers, Bannock and Rye Mellark, stand ready by our cart outside."

The official nods again and signals to a Capitol peacekeeper, who jumps off the train cart to verify his brothers' names and protect their cart as they load it. If something gets stolen it will not be under the Capitol's watch.

The official then gestures to a tall peacekeeper standing by the wall, "Peacekeeper Conley will accompany you to your family's reserved items. I'm certain, that I do not have to remind you that you are only allowed to touch the items within your own booth."

"Of course, sir."

Peacekeeper Conley walks in front of Peeta as he leads the way. On their way they pass different booths reserved for the other merchant stores like the grocery store, the apothecary, the tailor, the butcher and even the shoemaker. It will not be long before the other families show up, and it will undoubtedly be easier to load the cart without having to manoeuvre around the other merchants in the train car, so Peeta makes a mental note to get a move on. As they pass the grocer's pile, Peeta gives a tiny smirk of satisfaction when he sees how large their pile is and he is thankful that he will not have to carry all of that. The peacekeeper must have noticed his smile since the peacekeeper carries a knowingly smirk on his own face when he informs Peeta that the Mellark's booth is up next. For a moment Peeta just stands there and looks inside the booth with the name 'Mellark' written above it while his smile quickly falters. Their pile is huge. It is the largest of all the piles he has passed and of course their booth had to be placed at the back of the train cart. It will take them forever to finish loading the cart and then they have to drag the cart all the way through town.

The peacekeeper steps to the side and gestures to the pile, "You may begin unloading."

Knowing that it is a bad idea to vex a peacekeeper, especially one from the Capitol, Peeta settles for giving the peacekeeper a glare to match the glee in the peacekeeper's voice while he makes a mental note of making sure to trade places with Bannock or Rye the next time they are sent by themselves on delivery day. Still, he knows that the sooner he gets on with it, the sooner they are done, so he rolls up the sleeves of his white shirt and gives a determent exhalation, grabs the nearest first sack and hurls it onto his back.

* * *

By the time he is nearing the door opening with the last sack of the lot, his legs are shaking, his arms are trembling and it takes all his will power to not just drop the sack down upon Bannock, but instead to gently hand it to him. Bannock grunts when he receives the sack and positions it on his shoulder.

"That's the last of it." Peeta tells him, and the information alone seems to be enough for Bannock to gather the remaining strength he has left. Peeta lingers in the train's doorway for a moment. He notices how the sweat has gone through Bannock's shirt and how tiny droplets hang in his hair. Rye too must be sweating profusely, as Peeta watches him wipe his forehead with an arm. For a fleeting moment, Peeta is elated that his job is done. No more sacks, no more barrels or annoying free items that seemed to be living a life of their own as they rolled away from him. But then he eyes the cart behind Rye. It is stacked to the brim and he is certain that Rye will not be gentlemanly enough to offer to pull the cart by himself. But if he were able to move that cart by himself, then he would possess supernatural powers. No, they will have to use all of their combined strength to get that cart back to the bakery.

Then he spots some familiar faces inside the restricted area. The tailor, Mr. Ashworth, and his daughter, Rosemary, who is in his own class and her brother, three grades lower than them, come walking towards the train to pick up their supplies. Mr. Ashworth raises his hand in greeting, and Rosemary waves vividly, but Peeta, who is still exhausted, only manages to give a nod in return. "Hello Mr. Ashworth, Rosemary, Emmett. Nice to see you." he greets them.

"Hello Peeta." the tailor replies, "You look like you could use a hand getting down from that train." Apparently Peeta looks as tired as he feels, and he gratefully accepts Mr. Ashworth's outstretched helping hand.

With both feet firmly planted on the ground, Peeta smiles, "Thank you. I guess this month's delivery was a bit more than we had anticipated."

"Yes, I saw Rye struggle by your cart. That's quite the small mountain you have packed there. But with the Spring Festival coming up and the whole district flocking around your table, it is not so surprising. I'm sure your father is pleased to have three strapping young men to do all the heavy lifting." Mr. Ashworth chuckles nostalgically, "Alas, your father and I are not as young as we once were. "

"I don't know about that. You don't seem to have aged a day for the last couple of years."

The tailor pats him on the back, "Ah, Peeta, you're very kind, but I'm afraid your eyes are deceiving you. Is your father here by any chance?" he says while looking around the station.

"No, he's back at the bakery. He had an order he needed to get started on, but I will tell him, that you were looking for him."

"Oh, it's nothing of importance. I'll just speak to him another time." Mr. Ashwood says, but his eyes flicker to Rye and Bannock who are sitting, or in Bannock's case, lying on the ground beside the cart, while two local peacekeepers stand around the cart, just waiting for Peeta to come, so they can get the job done. "Now, I shall not keep you. Your brothers look like they could use your help."

"I guess you are right." Peeta tells him, and bids them goodbye as he starts to walk away. Rosemary, who had not been a part of the conversation but had watched it closely, gives him a bright smile and calls after him, "See you at school tomorrow, Peeta."

When he reaches the cart, Bannock and Rye are on their feet again. They quickly come to the conclusion that one of them should take hold of the shafts and steer the cart, while the other two push the cart from behind.

With much difficulty they manage to drag and push the cart all the way through town and back to the bakery. There had been times where Peeta had wished for the local peacekeepers to be a bit understanding and actually help them out. Instead, they had walked casually beside the cart and talked. Peeta had been swearing lightly under his breath about it, but the peacekeepers had luckily seen it as a frustration of the task at hand. And then Bannock, who had been steering, had with what seemed like determination lead them in a zig-zag-motion. Of course, that gave Rye and Peeta the pleasure of yelling at him from behind the small mountain of sacks and barrels that he was not fit to steer… well, perhaps the exact choice of words had been a bit harsher, but now they are finally home.

For last 20 minutes they have been carrying the items from the cart into the pantry in the bakery's kitchen and Peeta is currently trying to get the correct hold of a sack of flour when he overhears a part of the peacekeepers' conversation. "It's strange, don't you think?"

"Yeah, but you heard Cray. Orders are orders."

Peeta deliberately slows down on his attempt to position the sack right and strains himself to hear what kind of orders that are so strange, of course without being completely obvious about it. The peacekeepers do not seem to have noticed him or maybe they just do not think it will matter if a 16-year old boy hears their conversation.

"When was the last time we had a lockdown of the district?" the first peacekeeper wonders.

The second peacekeeper shrugs, "I don't know. Not in my time. We just have to follow the written procedures when the order comes in later today."

Peeta stops his poor attempts of moving the sack. A lockdown of the district? Today? He has only heard about those as a faint memory from his parents' childhood. A lockdown means curfews and full security installations, peacekeepers controlling every street. No one will be able to get in or out of the district, but then again no one ever leaves the district… except Katniss.

He can feel his blood turn cold at the thought. What if she has crossed the fence and is out there in the woods when the lockdown comes. The fence will be on, and if she by some miraculous deed is able to get back inside the district, she will be in jeopardy of running into a peacekeeper and then all hell breaks loose.

He has no particular way of knowing her daily schedule, but if there is just the slightest possibility that she will be crossing the fence again today, then she has to know about the lockdown.

"Are you going to carry that sack, or do you hope that we will be stupid enough to do it for you?"

Bannock has returned to the cart and is already pulling the next sack towards him. Peeta throws a look in the peacekeepers' direction, but they have not heard a thing Bannock had said. He gives him a faint smile and begins to carry his own sack.

Inside the pantry, Rye is putting all the smaller items in their correct places. When both Bannock and Peeta have settled the sacks on the floor in the pantry, Peeta grabs hold of Bannock's arm. "I just heard the peacekeepers talk about a lockdown of the district." he quietly tells him.

"A lockdown?"

Peeta holds his brothers' full attention now. Bannock's hand still rest on a sack while Rye has turned around on the wooden stool he is standing on. "Yeah, but I didn't hear when it will be initiated. Just that it will be sometime today. Why do you think that is?"

Bannock thinks about it for a moment. "Maybe they are installing some kind of new barrier or something like that. Or maybe they are on the lookout for some of the traders in the Hob."

"Maybe it won't start before night time." Rye says, but then all seriousness leaves him when he declares this it will give him plenty of time to meet up with his classmates after work today.

"You're going out again tonight?" Peeta asks as Rye puts the last can in his hands on the top shelf.

"Sure, I happen to have a rich social life." Rye cheerfully tells him. Then he jumps down from the stool on which he stood and happily skips out of the pantry.

Peeta leans towards Bannock after Rye's little performance. "He's meeting up with a girl tonight, isn't he?"

"Yup. No doubt about that."

* * *

About an hour later they are finally done. The deliveries have been collected from the station, returned to the bakery and neatly been placed into the pantry and it is not even 9 o'clock yet. Unfortunately it means that they have plenty of time to work and to complete their other chores for they day, but before they are allowed anywhere near the working tables in the kitchen, their mother had insisted that all of them were to be scrubbed clean from head to toe.

The washroom is located on the ground floor next to the kitchen in the back of the house. This is where all the washing takes place, whether it be clothes, items or themselves. The large wooden tub they bath in has been pulled into the middle of the room and is almost filled up with water. A small and worn wooden table stands next to the tub and placed upon it is a small metal plate on which the soap is lying.

"Coming through! Really hot water coming through!"

Peeta immediately jumps out of the way when Rye comes running into the washing room with a large pot in his hands. As he runs by, Peeta sees the water slosh dangerously close to the edge of the pot. Rye is aiming straight for the wooden tub and pours the content into it when he is close enough. "Whew…for a moment I thought it would spill over. The ovens have already given me the burn of the week. " he tells them.

"Here is an idea. Maybe you shouldn't run with boiling hot water in a pot if you're afraid of getting burned." Bannock mocks him. He has already removed his shirt and undershirt and placed them on a chair and now his hands reach for his socks.

Peeta looks from his oldest brother to the tub and eyes it enviously. It just looks so wonderfully nice at the moment, but he knows from a lifetime of experience that it will look nothing like that, when it is his turn to use it. "Not to complain or anything, but how come I'm always the last one to go in? I have heard this crazy thing that bath water is actually see-through and warm instead of grey and lukewarm."

Bannock just shrugs at his complain and continues to undress. "You know what they say: first out, first in… or in your case, last out, last in."

"That is just gross." Peeta tells him, while he tries to remove the internal image from his mind.

"Just stating facts. You just be happy that no one of us has worked out today."

Worked out? He has got to be kidding. What they had done today can only be classified as worse than a work out. Peeta throws his arms out towards him. "But it's delivery day! We have loaded the cart to the brim and then dragged it through town. You have been sweating just as much as you would have had if you had worked out, if not more!"

Rye walks over to Bannock and invades his comfort zone to inhale to air around him. Bannock looks at him with an utterly confused look on his face, but he does not back away. Not a second later, Rye straightens up, his face contorted. "You know, Bannock. He has a point. You stink… profoundly." He lifts an arm to sniff his own armpit and then wrinkles his nose. "Ugh! It's a bit crass." he states before grinning, "Man, am I glad that I'm not you, Peeta. We'll call when your lukewarm water is ready."

"But that's not fair!" Peeta protests.

Rye walks over to him and takes hold of his cheeks to emphasise his point, "What fantasies they are teaching the children in school these days. You go in last because you're the baby. Your baby skin cannot handle the warm water." And then Rye pinches his cheeks as if he was talking to a four year old.

Peeta shakes out of his grasp and lightly pushes him backwards. "I'm 16 years old now. I'm hardly a baby anymore. And I'm almost as tall as you, Rye. Seriously, we should draw lots on this. Or at least switch to being the first one to use the bathwater."

"Aww, isn't he cute Bannock?" Rye chuckles.

"Sorry, Peeta, your democracy will get you nowhere in this conversation. It's an unwritten rule to maintain the family peace. When you live in your own house you get to go in the tub before your wife does, unless of course, that you are too noble and let her in first… or you could always share the bath, I have heard that should be fun."

His brothers laugh at his expense and Peeta knows, there is no way they are going to yield. There is no point in fighting more about the bath at the moment. So he does the next best thing… he storms out of the washroom and heads for their bedroom.

On his way he stops in front of the full-length mirror in the narrow hallway on the first floor, an old heirloom from before the dark days. As he takes himself in he cannot help but compare himself to his brothers and what they just said. There is nothing 'baby' about him anymore. It is not like there is a tremendous height difference between them anymore. Sure, he is still the shortest of the three, but he is still growing. He might still gain an inch or two. But he certainly does not lack anything according to strength. All those years of lifting flour sacks from the station to the bakery and then carry them to the pantry in the back of the building had had its positive influence on his muscular stamina. In a year or so, he will probably be able to take Rye in a wrestling match. Maybe that is the way to get into the bath water before Rye - to make a bet about it. And he can always race Bannock for his spot as well. He just needs to figure out a way to talk them into it.

He turns his head to the side. He sure does resemble his brothers in his physical build, but not so much in the facial features. During the last year his face had become wider and his jaw more pronounced but his nose had still remained slightly smaller in comparison to Bannock and Rye's. Even his eyes are different; they are as blue as the clear northern sky. But what makes him stand out when someone sees them from a distance is his hair. His hair is not ashy blond like his brothers, but a more golden blond and he knows that his locks have a soft curl to them if he lets his hair grow a bit longer. But that is very rare since his mother is pretty nifty with the scissors. What a horror it would be if her sons' hair were not neatly trimmed.

When he reaches the bedroom, he crawls up to his part of the bunk bed and flings himself down on the mattress, rolls over on his back and rests his head on the pillow. For a moment he hopes that his current body odour does not seep into the sheets, but then he remembers, that it is Bannock who is on laundry duty this week and not him. Needless to say, his worries leave him rather quickly. He stares at the ceiling while the thoughts drift around. Stupid delivery day, stupid Rye, stupid Bannock, stupid house rules. Still annoyed about the whole thing, he tries for several minutes to come up with a plan to conquer the tub, but it does not take him long to feel drowsy. The fatigue has finally caught up with him and he feels his eyelids shut despite his best attempts to stay awake.

After what feels like only a minute, he is awoken by Rye cackling through the door, "Okay Peeta, your turn. There's still some warm water left if you hurry."

* * *

"So… is today going to be the day you finally talk to her? That is if she even shows up today."

They have been working for over an hour and it is almost 11 o' clock. Bannock has been out for a while making deliveries and taking orders, their mother is in her usual position behind the counter, while Rye, their dad, and Peeta himself are working in the kitchen. The ovens are blazing and the tables are packed with kitchen utensils, ingredients, dough in bowls, dough in forms and baked goods, loafs and buns. Peeta is currently standing in front of a plate of baked muffins and is trying to frost them.

Rye seems to have lost interest in his own cookie dough and is now doing what he does best, teasing his younger brother. However, Peeta does give him the pleasure of answering his question, "Why don't you just keep focusing on your own task?"

"Come on, Peeta. You know I'm only saying it for your own good." Rye laughs.

Peeta sends him a glare that clearly indicates that he is not in the mood for mockery right now. It is not because he has not noticed the very crucial fact that she has not come by to trade yet, which is odd. Why has she not come? The lockdown is not initiated at the moment… or maybe it did when he was sleeping and he would not have noticed it. No, his mind is playing him a trick. The lockdown cannot have been initiated, he would have heard about it. And besides, Bannock is still out and there are customers in the shop, so it cannot be the reason why she has not come yet. And even if she does come, he will probably not have the guts to talk to her. Not to mention the fact that Gale will undoubtly send a fist right into his face if he tries to get anywhere near her. It is hopeless…

"Aw Peeta, don't look so sad. If you just - "

"Rye, would you mind fetching the powdered sugar?"

Mr. Mellark, having sensed his youngest son's dwindling mood, has effectively cut Rye off and as he grumblingly walks away into the pantry, the baker leaves the table near the backdoor and walks over to Peeta's side of the large table in the middle of the room. He reaches for one of the spoons lying on the table, but instead of returning to his own table he remains by Peeta's side.

"Lady trouble?"

Peeta looks up at his dad and sees nothing but warmness and a slight concern in his eyes. His dad does not continue but instead lets the ball remain in Peeta's court. He knows that his dad will accept it if he does not wish to speak about it. That will probably be the easiest solution, but the calmness that radiates from his dad's presence sooths him. At the moment it is just the two of them in the room, and now seems as good a time as any.

Peeta sighs and stills his hands, "It's just… every time I try to talk to Katniss something goes wrong and…" He does not know how to continue the sentence but eventually his doubts and worries surface. "Maybe it's just not meant to be."

For a long time he has not felt this defeated, but now that he has actually said the words out loud, he feels the painful truth behind them. His shoulders sag, the frosting tube in his hand has suddenly become the most interesting objects in the world, and he has to swallow an extra time to accept the words.

His dad places a large but tender hand on his son's arm. "As your dad I can tell you that words of love are difficult to express. They are like the clouds; always changing and shifting. The only thing you can do is to try, and when you do, I think you will discover that not everything will go wrong. Things will work out for you if you just try. I'm sure of it."

Immediately his eyes find his dad's once again, the frosting bag long forgotten. "Do you really think I have chance?" he asks, his voice no louder than a whisper.

"You always have a chance as long as you don't give up."

Mr Mellark smiles and ruffles his son's hair affectionately as a reassurance that everything will turn out right in the end before walking back to the dough he is currently working on.

The short conversation has managed to erase all doubts from his mind. His dad is right. He does have a chance. Until he sees a wedding ring on Katniss' finger it is not over… and preferably when that day comes, the ring will be his. But why does it have to be so damn hard to talk to the girl you love? Last year, he had built up the courage to ask her to dance with him at the Spring Festival. She was sitting by herself on a bench in the table area and he had even found himself taking three steps towards her when Gale showed up. Then he pretty much ran the other way.

But not this year.

This year he is going to ask her to dance with him.

The knock on the backdoor almost makes him drop the frosting bag on the muffins. His heart starts to pound against his ribcage. It's her.

She's here!

Before he can completely pull himself together, his dad has opened the back door and there Katniss stands with a closed fist raised in the air and the sack containing that catch of the day lying on the ground. Her dark hair is in her signature braid although a few undisciplined locks have managed to escape it.

"Katniss! We were beginning to worry, that we might not see you today." his dad happily greets her as he wipes the flour off his hands in the towel he keeps hanging from his belt.

"Careful Peeta, somebody's liable to trip over your tongue." a voice right next to his ear grins.

Great, Rye has returned.

"Shut up!" he hisses back at him, but Rye just keep mocking him, "You know, that hurts right…here" he solemnly says while pointing at his chest. But only a moment later he chuckles and disappears back into the pantry.

"I see Gale is not with you?" Peeta hears his dad asks her.

Okay, now his hands are really starting to sweat. She is alone. This could be his chance, but how? He dares to steal a look at her and although he thought he was subtle her gaze finds his own in a wonderful, but exhilarating moment. But as always, he acts on pure instinct and immediately looks away. The bowl of icing next to him seems like a good choice to focus on instead of her.

"No. He had to take care of his sister. She has fallen ill, you see." she slowly answers.

It is not fair, he thinks. Even her voice is enough to give him a hard time behaving like a normal person. He is putting all his energy into frosting just one muffin, a task that was literally a piece of cake only minutes ago but now seems to require his undivided attention. He does not know how long he spends on that muffin, probably three times longer than he normally would, but he is brought back to reality when he hears a loud noise from the pantry followed by Rye's call, "Dad?! I think I might need some help in here."

The next thing his dad says makes Peeta freeze, "Oh dear. Rye only asks for help if things are really falling apart. I'm terribly sorry Katniss, but I do believe that I'll have to stop my son from tearing down the pantry. Peeta? Could you please wrap up the loaf and the buns for Katniss while I go and try to save what's left in there?"

'Okay, this is it. Be cool… and most importantly, act normal. Just talk to her, talking is something you are actually good at.' he frantically thinks. 'You can do this!'

"Sure Dad." he manages to say and with his encouraging thoughts he starts walking towards her, picking up a brown paper bag on his way.

She is right in front of him but she seems to be looking at everything but at him while she wrings her hands. He picks out the largest loaf there is and puts it next to the bag but he dares not trust himself to open his mouth. She does not say anything as well. What a great conversation they are having.

His brain is working on full power. 'Say something, Peeta. Anything! "I'm... I'm sorry about Gale's sister." he eventually says.

Seriously? He could have said anything and he goes for Gale's sister. Why bring Gale up when he is finally not around?

"It's nothing serious. She'll be up an about in no time." she responds.

Well, that is good news and although he never meant to talk about Gale or his family, he is happy to hear that the little girl will be all right again. Nothing is worse than seeing a sick child, knowing that sickness in the Seam can lead to something far worse.

Having wrapped up the loaf and the buns he hands the paper bag to her. "That's good to hear." he tells her genuinely and when she reaches to out to take the bag he dares to look straight into her eyes.

It seems like they are staring at each other for hours but none of them say anything. It has never occurred to him before now how pleasant silence can be. All he sees is grey, the beautiful light grey that lights up a winter day. But all too soon she gives him a slight nod of her head and turns to leaves.

In that moment he remembers the crucial information he heard this morning. He has to warn her about the upcoming lockdown. Without even thinking on how to say it, he stackers after her and calls, "Katniss! Wait!"

Walking in a steadfast pace he catches up with her in no time. He is a man on a mission now. She has to know.

"Wait, please. I need to speak with you."

She looks at him, slightly perplexed it seems. A warm wind makes the loose strands from her braid dance and he is about to blurt it all out when he remembers that what he is about to say is best to say in private. And he does not want his mother or anybody else to accidentally see them. He quickly scans the area for people and when he sees none, he reaches for her slender arm and gently closes a hand around it in order to lead her away from the open space. Luckily, she follows him and they end up behind the apple tree in the garden, effectively shielding them from sight.

The old apple tree is bearing the flower buds that will bloom in a few weeks time and seeing her underneath it reminds him that she too will flourish when the summer comes and that is the time of year when she is happiest, when the forest is overflowing with life and thoughts of starvation far away. She looks so lovely at the moment as she is calmly standing there, allowing him to hold onto her…

Hold onto her? Right, the promise he made to himself about acting normal kicks in and he reluctantly removes his hand from her arm. Feeling slightly embarrassed about it, his hand quickly finds the back of his neck and then runs through his hair.

His heart is bursting with joy from just standing in front of her. And although there are many things he wants to tell her, he needs to warn her about the lockdown. Her safety is his first priority. He allows himself to look straight into her silver eyes for him to say this.

"Don't go back out there today."

She looks at him perplexed, like she cannot comprehend what he just told her. But then her features harden. Oh, that is not supposed to happen. She has to understand! "I mean, I know it's none of my business but it's just… that is…". he rambles on before pulling himself together and actually makes a full sentence. "I heard some peacekeepers talk by the bakery earlier. Apparently, there is going to be a lockdown of the district today."

Now, her facial expression reads pure shock.

Please let her understand what he is telling her. He cannot bear it if anything happens to her. His hand twitches to take hold of hers. She has to understand. "Just… don't go out there again today… please." he pleads her, his voice just above a broken whisper.

Eventually she nods in understanding and he lets out a breath of relief and smiles softly. He gives her a nod of his own. This is enough for now. He must not be greedy, and now that he knows he is able to talk to her, who is to say that next time wont go better? Perhaps she will even respond with words? Certainly he will try to talk to her again before the Spring Festival so he wont seem like a creep when he asks her to dance with him.

He remains standing on the spot beneath the apple tree until he cannot see her anymore. It is only when he hears steps behind him that he turns around.

"Was that Katniss I just saw you talking to?" Bannock asks him.

"Yeah. It was."

And then he smiles at Bannock who throws an arm around his shoulders while he grins happily and they walk back into the bakery together. There are sounds coming from the pantry, so their dad must still be in there trying solve out the mess since Rye is back at the main table with his cookie dough and the minute Peeta enters the kitchen, Rye is on him, "So? Did you do it? Did you ask her to save you a dance?"

Peeta shakes his head and picks up the frosting bag. The muffins are not going to frost themselves. "No. I didn't."

Rye looks at him with utter disbelieve. "Do my ears deceive me? You didn't? Peeta! You're 16 not 6 years old. Start acting like it and grow a pair, will you?" Rye runs his hand through his hair, a signal trademark the Mellark brothers share when in distress, "If you can't pull yourself together, maybe it's time you start to move on. Ask another girl to be your partner."

He points a finger into Peeta's face "And by girl I don't mean Delly, who is like a sister to you, but a real girl, you can actually have some fun with. What about that Rosemary Ashwood? I'm sure she is more than willing to dance with you. She certainly was eying you up and down today."

"She was not." Peeta snorts. "We're just in the same class, that's all."

"Yeah, as if. I tell you, if there were a girl that looked at me the way she did you, then you wouldn't see me hanging around here."

"You're delirious. She doesn't look at me that way."

Rye throws his hands into the air in frustration, "That's what you think because you're too obsessed with Katniss Everdeen to notice it. And to make matters worse, I just gave you the perfect excuse to be alone with said girl and you blew it!"

"I warned her about the lockdown." Peeta defends himself. "I felt it was more important than the Spring Festival."

Immediately Rye's attitude changes and once again a big cheeky smile finds its way to his face at the thought of a grander plan. "Ah, good thinking bro! I knew you hadn't screwed up completely. Now she'll have to dance with you out of gratitude. And if you play your cards well, maybe you can sneak a kiss out of her."

"She doesn't owe me anything, Rye." Peeta insists.

From the stove beside the main table where Bannock is stirring the contents of a pot with a spoon, he throws Rye a sharp glance and points the spoon in Rye's direction, "Stop pestering him, Rye."

"Are you threatening me with a spoon?"

As an answer Bannock smacks the spoon hard onto one of Rye's hands, which makes him howl out from the shock. He looks from Peeta to Bannock, "But he's - "

"I know. Peeta will ask her in his own time and in his own way."

The door to the kitchen is flung open and their mother's annoyed face scrutinizes them. "There is no need to shout out like that when we're having customers in the store. Get back to work, or I'll be using your faces to scrub that pot clean."

* * *

The rest of the day goes by slowly. Luckily, they have a break from their kitchen duties around noon where they are free to do whatever they like. Peeta had spent the hours wisely. A short nap, spending some time with Delly, discussing the upcoming Spring Festival and about which games they should participate in, and later in the afternoon sitting in his usual spot on the wooden box in the bakery's backyard where he can draw in peace. Needless to say, the subject this time had been the wonderful, but fleeting moment talking with Katniss - okay, talking to Katniss - underneath the apple tree. It was just a quick black and white sketch at the moment, but he had in mind to colour it in when he had the time for it. Now, until the next time he has an hour to spare, the drawing is kept safe in his booklet that currently lies in his private hideaway, underneath the loose floorboard he found in the linen closet on the first floor.

But for the last hour, he and Rye have been back on kitchen duty preparing everything for tomorrow morning and lining up the delivery notes on the board. Their dad is standing by the stove cooking one of the squirrels that they had traded with Katniss earlier that day which he means for them to have for dinner. Their mother, who refuses to cook anything unless it comes from the grocer, has taken up her project of mending the family's torn clothes in their living room upstairs. When you work near the ovens and has three teenage sons the clothes tends to get a scratch here and there.

Peeta is currently peeling some potatoes from their small vegetable garden for his dad when he hears the loud stomps on the stairs and sure enough not a minute later Bannock comes through the door and addresses Rye.

"Yes, dear brother." Rye grins at him, knowing fully well why Bannock has come down from upstairs.

"I'm sad to say that I'm here to relieve you, but by the way you look I suggest you hit the sack instead of chasing girls."

"That's a good idea Bannock, but some of those girls have been waiting for months."

Rye has dropped everything in his hands and is already reaching for his jacket when their dad calls after him, "Isn't there something you have forgotten, Rye?"

Rye thinks about it for a while and when he comes to a conclusion he slowly asks, "Is this about the ovens?"

"How perceptive of you, Rye."

Peeta clearly sees the distress Rye suddenly finds himself in. Finally he thought that he was done for the day only to be reminded of the very thing he 'forgot' was his daily task. How bitter that must be. Rye looks from the ovens to the backdoor and then back to the ovens while he impatiently bounces on his toes so he can be ready to sprint out of the door the moment he gets the chance. "I will clean them tomorrow." he answers impatiently.

But their dad does not let him off that easy. "And will that be before or after you have scrubbed the floors and done the laundry?"

"I… but my friends… I mean…"

Peeta is eagerly waiting for whatever pathetic excuse Rye will try to use this time to get out of his chores since they tend to get crazier by the day. But unfortunately Rye's stammer is cut off briskly by the district's speaker system that booms through the district, entering every street and every house. "Attention. Attention all citizens. All citizens are to return to their homes immediately. No man, woman or child is allowed to be outside their houses during the curfew that will commence at sunset. The curfew will last throughout the night and peacekeepers will be patrolling the district to uphold the curfew. The punishment for breaking said curfew will be… severe. That will be all."

The kitchen is dead silent. Peeta, Bannock and Rye exchange a knowing look. They knew the lockdown would come and now it has, but the initiation of it still brings a gloomy atmosphere.

Mr. Mellark seems to gather his wits first, "Well, Rye. It seems you won't be going out with your friends tonight. Instead you will get to spend time with your new friends, the bucket, water and soap…"

Rye's facial expression goes from disbelieve to shock and he looks so comical right now that Peeta cannot hide the smile that has taken over his face due to his brother's misery. " - and Peeta, you just wipe that smile off your face. Don't you have a school test coming up this week?" their dad continues without even turning around to look at Peeta.

Immediately, his smile vanishes into thin air and now it is Rye's turn to smirk at him. His dad did not even turn around. When did he develop eyes in the back of the head? Unbelievable.

* * *

Dinner was quickly turned into a discussion panel about the reason for the lockdown. Everything from updating the security system to the railroad was discussed although their mother was certain the true reason was to flush out the stalls in the Hob and clean out the "Seam trash" within it.

The curfew has already lasted four hours. Mr. and Mrs. Mellark are currently relaxing in the living room before bedtime, while Rye is finding his whole upper body inside one of the ovens. Fortunately for him, Bannock had taken pity on him and decided to help him out. Peeta's head, on the other hand, is buried in a book about the essential chemistry of the coal industry, but his thoughts are drifting towards the Seam instead of the test in two days time. He cannot stop thinking about the lockdown. What if Katniss had not believed him? He had been a mumbling fool after all. The first time he gets her on his own and he cannot produce two coherent sentences. Fortunately she did nod, so he assumes that she understood it. There is no way he will know for sure before he sees her again. But she has to be okay. She simply has to.

He is so absorbed in his thoughts about Katniss that he does not think much about Rye calling out from the kitchen below him. But when he hears the noise of not one, not two but perhaps three or four people stomping up the stairs followed by his mother's small shriek as unknown voices are commanding his parents to stand still, he freezes. Not even five seconds later the door to the bedroom is flung open and he immediately rises from the chair only to stare at two peacekeepers pointing their guns at him. Slowly he raises his hands in front of him to indicate that he will not fight them. He does not recognise any of them. Did 12 get new peacekeepers? Is that why there had to be a lockdown?

Quickly, one of the peacekeepers walks over to him and gives him a small push to indicate that he should move. The peacekeeper does not say anything, but his rough attitude is enough for Peeta to know that he should not question him. Instead Peeta eyes the insignia of the uniform. No, not new peacekeepers. Capitol peacekeepers. As he is guided to the staircase, his thoughts are racing. Why are they here? Did he mess up the deliveries? But how could that be possible when another of the Capitol peacekeepers made sure that he only took what belonged to them.

Downstairs, he is pushed inside the kitchen where he immediately joins the rest of his family that is standing in a small cluster by the main table. Peacekeepers line the three doors of the room and Peeta counts ten peacekeepers inside the kitchen but on his way he saw some in the store area as well even though the lights had not been turned on. How many are there in the bakery? Another odd thing is that none of the peacekeepers are aiming their weapons at them. They just stand there and look out into the air, not looking at anything in particular.

Mrs. Mellark has an iron grip on her husband's arm who tries to stay calm. Bannock is keeping a reassuring hand on Rye's shoulder whose eyes are about to pop out of their sockets. The moment Peeta reaches his family, his dad gently takes hold of him, but keeps his grip firm for Peeta to know that he is not alone. If there is a time for the family to stick together it must be now.

The seconds ticks by slowly. For a moment Peeta feels the time has stopped and he does not even dare to breathe, afraid that he will make a sound. Then a peacekeeper with four ribbons of order sowed onto the uniform's shoulders speaks into a sort of technological watch. "Everything is in order, sir. We have them all."

From the darkness of the store area Peeta sees a silhouette come near the door to the kitchen but when the person steps into the light of the kitchen he is like petrified. In the door opening to the store stands a person that Peeta has only ever seen on screen. A person that he never thought or hoped he would ever meet.

But here he is; President Snow is standing in their house.

And he is staring directly into Peeta's eyes.

Time freezes and Peeta dares not look away. For a moment it is like the president acknowledges no other than him and he wants nothing more than to break eye contact with Panem's leader, but he does not know how. The president's facial expression is like stone but then a contended smile flashes briefly. It is only then President Snow's eyes wander to the rest of the Mellark family, to observe each and every one of them.

All of the Mellarks are frozen in place while the president seems to have taken over their home as he walks to the main table and pulls out a stool across from them. As if this was an everyday event for him, he sits down and folds his hands on the table. A few Capitol officials enter the room as well, but they keep their distance by standing in the back.

"I am sure you must be wondering why I have honoured your family with my presence, Mr. Mellark." President Snow calmly says.

Mr. Mellark can do nothing but nod and Peeta does not blame him for not trusting his own voice.

"The reason for it is of a very important matter, I can assure you of that. Do you have any idea of which reason I'm speaking?"

"No, your Excellency. I'm afraid I don't know." Mr. Mellark manages to say.

"You have had something of mine in your position for many years now, and I would like you to return it to me."

"I… I didn't know that, sir. I'm truly sorry if I have done something to offend you. Whatever it is, it is yours."

President Snow rewards the words with a content smile, "I appreciate that, Mr. Mellark. I have read your file. You are an exceptionally good citizen. You are a hard and honest worker and you are quite the family man, I understand." He lets his gaze wander over the boys. "Such fine boys you have. You and your lovely wife must be very proud of them."

"We are, sir. We love our boys with all of our hearts."

"And they are all yours?"

"Sir?"

President Snow looks at the high ranking officer who with a snap of his fingers orders the five closest peacekeepers to move from their assigned positions and they take hold of the hand of each Mellark. Before Peeta can understand what is happening he feels a sharp pain in his index finger and the peacekeeper holding his hand smears the dribbling blood onto a sort of card. The five peacekeepers walk away as quickly as they approached them, each carrying a card with the blood from Peeta, Rye, Bannock and their parents. They place the cards next to each other on the table and a Capitol official sets a scanning device connected to a small tablet on the table as well.

"It is amazing what technology and a single drop of blood can do." President Snow jauntily states.

Peeta, who does still not understand what is going on, can only look passively at the cards on the table.

"This tablet contains the entire database of the citizens of Panem. From the Capitol to the districts. Every child that is born is registered in this database." President Snow starts as he fiddles with the tablet before he takes hold of the scanning device and it is then that Peeta recognizes it. He has seen such a scanning devise four times already, at the reaping where they scan his blood to register him.

"We have only recently changed the programme to be able to compare DNA-profiles and the result is marvellous."

President Snow scans the first card on the table and immediately a hologram rises from the tablet. The DNA-sequences are shown and it is quickly confirmed to belong to Mr. Mellark as his profile photo shows up in the left side of the hologram. The same happens with Mrs. Mellark's DNA-profile and her profile photo is placed on the right side.

"Now we come to the fascinating part. With this programme we are even able to determinate the family lineage." Snow says as he taps on the tablet and then picks up another card to scan it.

The DNA-profile is Bannock's and a white line is drawn from his photo in the middle of the screen to both of Mr. and Mrs. Mellark's photos. "You see? A clear lineage line."

Then he picks up another card and scans it. Bannock's photo disappears and is replaced by Rye's and the same white line is automatically drawn to both of his parents.

"Fascinating isn't it?" Snow states and he reaches for the last card on the table. Peeta can feel his dad's grip on his shoulder tighten as they watch Peeta's photo take Rye's place in the hologram. For a few seconds nothing is happening. But then a white line to both his parents' photos appear.

But the line is broken.

Mr. Mellark's grip on Peeta tightens further and Peeta might have felt his shoulder is about to break if he had not been in shock of the hologram in front of him.

The room is dead silent.

"It can't be." someone whispers and to his horror, Peeta realises that it is his own voice. He stares at the broken line that is mocking him, taunting him. "It can't be." he repeats.

Bannock whirls around to look at his dad, his eyes already glistening with tears, "Dad! There must have been a mistake. Peeta is our brother!" he latches onto his dad's arm, "Tell them!"

"Yes do please tell, Mr. Mellark. I too am very eager to hear what you have to say." President Snow utters.

Mr. Mellark looks at his three sons and slowly starts talking, "What you must understand - and it is very important - is that Peeta is still your brother… but unfortunately he is not your biological brother."

"What are you talking about? That is bull-shit! Mom was pregnant with Peeta. We have all seen the photos in the family album." Rye cries out.

Mr. Mellark raises his eyes to the president who gestures for him to continue. "A little over 16 years ago your mother was indeed pregnant and on a cold winter night she gave birth to a the child. A baby girl, but she was stillborn."

Peeta cannot believe his ears and he slowly feels his entire world crumble around him. Still his beloved dad keeps talking, keeps on shattering his world, "I left the house with our stillborn baby to bury her in the meadow but on my way back I heard a baby's cry. But the cry came from the woods beyond the fence. I was certain of what I had heard and I knew that I had to find the baby since no baby can survive on its own. So I broke the law and ducked under the fence to follow the cries. I stumbled upon a fallen tree trunk and inside the trunk lay a baby boy wrapped in a blanket, no older than a month. I took him home with me and your mother and I decided to raise the boy as our own."

By the end of the story the tears are flowing from Mr. Mellark's eyes as well as that of his three sons. Mr. Mellark takes Peeta into his arms and hugs him with all of his might and Peeta clings to him like there is no tomorrow. His dad kisses the top of his head, "I am so sorry that you should discover the truth this way, Peeta. But know this, you are still my beloved son. And nothing will change that."

Peeta is still in shock and a tremor runs through his body. This is a nightmare, a cruel and horrifying nightmare, and he longs to wake up.

President Snow regains the attention by clearing his voice, "That is a very touching story. But I too have a story to tell and I have the feeling that I can trust you and your family, Mr. Mellark. Am I correct in assuming that?"

"Yes, sir." Mr. Mellark says, his voice completely hollow, as if he is afraid of what he will hear.

"It is no secret that my own darling wife died shortly after having given me the greatest treasure in life. My son was a mere infant when he lost his mother. The nation is told that she died of a fatal accident, but that accident was in fact a rebel attack in my own home, in her bedroom no less where she and my son slept."

Mrs. Mellark gasps and covers her mouth with her hands.

"Afterwards, it was clear that the rebels were after my son, my only heir. If they had him in their possession, Panem would be entirely at their mercy. My wife suffered the ultimate price when she tried to protect our son from them and their devilry plan."

As he talks, he pulls out a small blade from the inside of his pristine dark blue suit and pricks his index finger, smearing the blood onto an identical card as the ones laid out before him.

"The rebels managed to take my son far away from the Capitol before our own hovercrafts caught up with them and forced them to the ground. But what happened to my son afterwards has been a mystery… until now."

All of the president's movements seem to happen in slow motion at this point. He scans the card with his own blood and his official photo and DNA-sequence appears in the hologram. Peeta holds his breath and his eyes are fixed on the hologram. A single white line appears and connects his own photo with President Snow's. And this one is not broken. He keeps telling himself that it will only be a matter of time before it breaks, but nothing happens.

Wiping off the blood with a beautifully decorated white handkerchief, President Snow looks eagerly, almost hungrily, at Peeta, who stands firmly in the very middle of the Mellark family, "After 16 years of searching I have finally found my son and now I have come to bring him home."

'It is not true.' That is the only sentence that floats around inside Peeta's head. It is not true. Someone is pulling a prank on him, and a very bad one of that. He instinctively takes a small step back, away from the man who claims to be his true father and closer to his dad that still holds onto his shoulders with an iron grip.

"Come now, my boy. It's time to go home." The president calmly declares, officially trying to end the discussion before it even starts.

Every part of Peeta denies the information that he has just been given. He shakes his head and even though his mouth is dry like a desert he replies, "It is not true! You must have made a mistake."

"DNA-results never lie and it's a 100% match." one of the officials from the back states drily.

"No, you're the one who is lying!" Peeta insists, desperate to make them understand that everything is just a mistake.

President Snow, sensing that Peeta has no intentions of following him, gives the high ranking officer a slight nod. The officer immediately steps forward and takes hold of Peeta's arm. "Don't touch me!" Peeta yells at the officer as he manages to rip his arm out of the officer's grasp.

"Peeta, for heavens sake! Stop being so stubborn for once and do what you are told!" his mother shouts at him.

But the officer does not listen and he tries once again to grab him. Before he has even laid a hand on Peeta, Rye brutally shoves him to the side and roars at him, "You heard him! Don't you touch my brother, you stinking piece of metal scrap!"

That's when the mayhem begins. Two peacekeepers step forward in order to pacify Rye, who in return hits out at them. Mr. Mellark tries to protect Rye by placing himself in between them and in result takes most of the blows from the peacekeepers. Mrs. Mellark screams as she is contained by another peacekeeper. The sight makes Peeta loose his ability to move for a moment as he watches his dad and Rye being brutally shoved against the wall, and he does not even notice that the high ranking officer has returned. Bannock, on the other hand, has seen the officer and quickly pulls Peeta behind him, as if shielding him from sight will help. Frantically, Peeta looks around the kitchen and his heart sinks when he sees that there is no easy way out. There are still peacekeepers standing by every door and they will have to fight them to get out. He does not have long time to think of an escape route when he and Bannock are flanked by four peacekeepers. Two of them force Bannock down on the floor and puts him in an armlock and the other two are focused on getting Peeta towards the door to the store area where the main entrance to the bakery is.

Instinctively, Peeta first rips his right arm out of one the peacekeeper's hands and elbows him in the gut. The shock of Peeta fighting back is enough for Peeta to throw the other peacekeeper off him with relative ease. His blood is pumping, his heart is racing and his drive is pure adrenaline at the moment. His family cannot help him anymore since they are all being restrained and to make matters worse several peacekeepers are closing in on him. There is no way that he can get to the door and in pure desperation he grabs the closest thing to him, a glass, and hurls it in a peacekeeper's direction. The glass misses its target and shatters with a loud bang against the wall in thousands of pieces.

"Get away from me!" he screams at them.

A howl of pain takes him out of his desperation tantrum, and he looks over at Rye who has tried to fight off the peacekeepers but instead earned a punch to the ribs. But what makes Peeta see red is when they peacekeepers having had enough of the Mellarks' un-cooperation draws their guns and places them against his family's temples to keep them still. He reaches for everything he can get his hands on as he backs away from the peacekeepers walking towards him: plates, glasses, baking utensils, pots and pans, rolling pens, baking tins, cans… literately everything he can reach, he throws at them. Some he hits, and most he misses but everytime he seems to have made one peacekeeper sink to his knees another takes his place.

Unfortunately, in his despair he fails to notice the bucket that Rye and Bannock had used to clean the ovens with and he trips over it and tumbles to the ground by the sink. Seeing his brother fall down, Bannock tries once again to get up, but that only earns him a hard hit on the head with the handle of a peacekeeper's gun.

"No! Leave them alone!" Peeta yells at the peacekeepers from underneath the sink where he is now trapped like a mere prey. Immediately, the peacekeepers are onto him and four pairs of hands manage to hold him down and he knows that there is no way he can get away now. He feels so lost and he cannot bear the thought that his family is being hurt because of him. Fat, ugly tears start to form and in no time at all they begin to run down his cheeks, "Please don't hurt them." he sobs, "Stop it!".

Still not giving up trying to fight back the best he can, he spots a Capitol official coming closer. But it is the syringe in his hand that frightens Peeta the most. "No, please don't." he begs, "Please don't do this. Please let me go."

No matter how much he pleads the official and the peacekeepers to back off, it is of no use and only seconds later he feels a sharp sting in his neck. "Please…" he tries again, but he can already feel the drug starting to take effect. Whatever there was in that syringe it is clearly a powerful sedative, and he feels his strength leave him and drowsiness to take over. He tries with all his might to stay awake, but it is impossible. The last thing he sees before everything goes dark is his dad's sad eyes and tearstained face looking back at him.

When Peeta has passed out and is lying motionless on the floor, a large peacekeeper gathers the unconscious boy in his arms like he weighed nothing at all and walks out of the kitchen with determined steps. It is only then that President Snow moves away from the chair he has been sitting on.

As if nothing had happened, he stands and puts on his white gloves, while he nonchalantly says, "Of course, I trust you understand that no matter how much my son may love all of you, I cannot allow him to stay here any longer than he already has. Also, as a sign of my appreciation for all what you have done for him, I'll replace the items that my son has destroyed just moments ago and reward you handsomely, provided of course that we can see eye to eye on certain… important matters." He raises his head and looks straight at the Mellark family who are still being detained against the wall or the floor. "Firstly, you are not to tell anyone of what you have heard or seen tonight. Secondly, no one must know of my son's true position in society before his official introduction to Panem on his 18th birthday. And thirdly, when that day occurs, you are to follow whatever directions the Presidential Office might give you. If you fail to uphold these simple rules, I'll not answer for the consequences. Have I made myself clear?"

All the Mellarks can do is nod since no one has the strength to fight back the tears and the lumps in their throats.

"Excellent!" President Snow beams. Before he leaves the kitchen he turns around one last time, "Oh and one more thing. You will of course be allowed to leave this room when my train has left the district, but not a moment before that. I do not need a repetition of what has just occurred. Now, I bid you a good evening. And I thank you once again."

And then the president walks out of the bakery leaving the Mellark family in despair.

20 minutes later the peacekeepers receive a message through their communication devices and they release their hold on the Mellarks before quickly disappearing into the night. Even though the peacekeepers have left, the Mellarks do not even try to get up at this point. The shattered room stands as a painful reminder of the fact that there is nothing they can do to get Peeta back now. He is already far away from home.

* * *

 **AN:**

 **And there you have it. Chapter 4 is finally completed and uploaded! I apologise for the long wait. It took longer time to write than I expected, but as a small consolation this chapter is the longest one to date. I hope that it was worth the wait. I would like to thank all the kind people who have reviewed the three first chapters. You guys are amazing, and your wonderful praise keeps my inspiration going. Once again, all mistakes are mine.**

 **Until next time.**


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